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