###¤£†*«,¨                                          ¨,«*†£¤###
###&$%^~~,                                          ,~~^%$&###
#@@§%*:«:.                                          .:«:*%§@@#
#@@#&*=»~¨                                          ¨~»=*&#@@#
@&¤*^%†».¨                                          ¨.»†%^*¤&@
¤%-»,¨.¨..                statuette                 ..¨.¨,»-%¤
##@££*;»-.                                          .-»;*££@##
##¤*%^\=., £&%££%$$$£&%@&§£-«~=-»~~£&§%¤$%%@*@$£§££ ,.=\^%*¤##
##@@$$:«^¨                 £$%¤££&££                ¨^«:$$@@##
#£%\~.,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,.~\%£#
###£%=/-~¨ forests around  my childhood home. thick ¨~-/=%£###
##@£%*;«~. pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and .~«;*%£@##
###§£$*«,.       forgotten. wild boars roaming      .,«*$£§###
##@¤&*=-:¨ underneath, sniffing at  the  ground. it ¨:-=*&¤@##
#%$†==~,,. is dark  and  moist,  the canopy  having .,,~==†$%#
###§£$/«:. already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. .:«/$£§###
#@@&$$;~:¨                                          ¨:~;$$&@@#
##¶¤£†=~-, there's a  river passing  by, from  east ,-~=†£¤¶##
££&#$%;=,¨ to west,  getting broader and deeper and ¨,=;%$#&££
#¤%^~,.,,. slower as  it goes. equisetum  grow just .,,.,~^%¤#
##@£§%*=:¨ where  the  pine   hands  start  to  let ¨:=*%§£@##
####%%;«~, through  light, horsemint  on  the rocky ,~«;%%####
##&*/~:.¨,                river bed.                ,¨.:~/*&##
#@@£=%†»..                                          ..»†%=£@@#
@&§^§%;-,.                     \                    .,-;%§^§&@
@$&^~»=¨¨,                                          ,¨¨=»~^&$@
#§*-..,¨., the  riverbanks reek  of  magic. tonight ,.¨,..-*§#
@@*/=-,¨¨, they had  been  a swampworld with sylvan ,¨¨,-=/*@@
##¶&%%;~,. water,  stone rings  and floating  moss. .,~;%%&¶##
@$£*/.-¨¨. you  could've found me  wallowing around .¨¨-./*£$@
§¤§†^^^:¨. on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got .¨:^^^†§¤§
#@#&%$:=^¨                  bitten.                 ¨^=:$%&#@#
#@@§£%^-,¨                                          ¨,-^%£§@@#
###@£%*«,. but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid .,«*%£@###
@&§§%†*~~, ground, in shoulder-high  grass, with an ,~~*†%§§&@
@&§^-=¨..¨ orange   tin  radio  and  a  translucent ¨..¨=-^§&@
##£#$†^«-.      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      .-«^†$#£##
&*»-,¨,..,                                          ,..,¨,-»*&
##@@£%*~~.                     \                    .~~*%£@@##
§$&%;»,,¨.                                          .¨,,»;%&$§
###@¤§^«,. somethings  moving  in the  grass.  it's .,«^§¤@###
£%==^.-:¨¨ invisible  to  my eyes  but  i can  feel ¨¨:-.^==%£
##£§£†^-^. through the ground just how large it is. .^-^†£§£##
##¶¤*$\».,                                          ,.»\$*¤¶##
####@¤:~:, the  soil is muddy.  i slip when  trying ,:~:¤@####
&†^;~~..., to  get   up,   still  looking   at  the ,...~~;^†&
#¤#§&††»,¨ direction of  sound  rather  than  at my ¨,»††&§#¤#
####£$/~~¨ hands,  who are busy putting  things  in ¨~~/$£####
###¤$§†»-¨               my pockets.                ¨-»†§$¤###
##@¤%$;-:¨                                          ¨:-;$%¤@##
##@£$%=-^¨ then  i  run   east  toward   my   home. ¨^-=%$£@##
###&$*†~-.                                          .-~†*$&###
###§£†;~,,                    =                     ,,~;†£§###
###£$%;~,.                                          .,~;%$£###
##@£$§*=^. i am not  followed, and slow down in the .^=*§$£@##
#&@§§^^=~¨ clearing  where  you  at first  can spot ¨~=^^§§@&#
#@@@§**«.. the   house,  not  yet  really   in  the ..«**§@@@#
£@&†\†-.¨¨ backyard.  from my pockets i retrieve my ¨¨.-†\†&@£
#§†=^.,^., radio  (now  dented)  but also  a  small ,.^,.^=†§#
#$:--¨,¨¨. clay  figure i've never seen before.  it .¨¨,¨--:$#
#@@#&**=:. must have been laying in  the  wet dirt, .:=**&#@@#
###£@$*~,¨ and  i  must've  picked it  up  with  my ¨,~*$@£###
@§%;-,¨¨.,            other belongings.             ,.¨¨,-;%§@
#&§§=~,,¨.                                          .¨,,~=§§&#
###§*$=--. it's a statuette of  a girl laying naked .--=$*§###
#@@#&*;=-, on   her  stomach,  feet  in   the  air, ,-=;*&#@@#
##@¤%*^~-.   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   .-~^*%¤@##
£&$*;.¨,,, freshly made, not  yet completely dried. ,,,¨.;*$&£
#@#@£§/~^¨                                          ¨^~/§£@#@#
#&=†=»..,, my mom is here now.  i  ask her for some ,,..»=†=&#
@£$\,~¨.¨. particle board  for it  to dry  on,  but .¨.¨~,\$£@
@§@%¤^/~,, she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to ,,~/^¤%@§@
##%*~~¨..,              throw it away.              ,..¨~~*%##
###££%;«-,                                          ,-«;%££###
@#%$$%:«:.                                          .:«:%$$%#@
£&£&†,,¨.,                                          ,.¨,,†&£&£
##¶£@*:~,.                                          .,~:*@£¶##
##¶§%%\»^¨                                          ¨^»\%%§¶##
£@††-»-:.¨                                          ¨.:-»-††@£