###@%%^-~.                                          .~-^%%@###
##@&£^\~~¨                                          ¨~~\^£&@##
##@@£%/=-.                                          .-=/%£@@##
##£&¤†:«^.                                          .^«:†¤&£##
@*%:--¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨--:%*@
¤&=/~~.¨¨.                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 ,^~†^$££@#
#¤&@*-«,^,              throw it away.              ,^,«-*@&¤#
&@$*%~~--¨                                          ¨--~~%*$@&
##@§£^*«.,                                          ,.«*^£§@##
#@#§$†^«^,                                          ,^«^†$§#@#
###&¤†==,,                                          ,,==†¤&###
¤*;~,,,,,¨                                          ¨,,,,,~;*¤
###@@^\=~,                                          ,~=\^@@###