###£@$*«-.                                          .-«*$@£###
##@#£††~-,                                          ,-~††£#@##
##¶@¤$=»^¨                                          ¨^»=$¤@¶##
@#$*:¨¨,,¨                                          ¨,,¨¨:*$#@
##&£:,¨...                                          ...¨,:£&##
###@$^†«,¨                statuette                 ¨,«†^$@###
¤¤%%$$\-:,                                          ,:-\$$%%¤¤
£%=~«~^:,, %££%%&£§%*$$££%%»~-~~~--§*%£§$£$*$%%*£§$ ,,:^~«~=%£
#@@§$%;-^,                 §%&%$$££&                ,^-;%$§@@#
#$@§&*^»-.                                          .-»^*&§@$#
###§¤§/~:, forests around my childhood home.  thick ,:~/§¤§###
£*:=:¨,¨,, pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and ,,¨,¨:=:*£
##§%£*:=~¨       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ¨~=:*£%§##
¤@$%^~¨,,, underneath, sniffing  at the ground.  it ,,,¨~^%$@¤
@¶$:~,..¨. is  dark  and moist,  the canopy  having .¨..,~:$¶@
##@#¤*:--. already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. .--:*¤#@##
#&@#$*=~:¨                                          ¨:~=*$#@&#
@§£§~=..,. there's  a river passing  by,  from east .,..=~§£§@
##@§$$*-~¨ 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.              ,-=/†£§@##
##£&@*†-,.                                          .,-†*@&£##
#¶¶§$$:-^¨                                          ¨^-:$$§¶¶#
¶%§:^.¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨.^:§%¶
##£#@$:«-¨                                          ¨-«:$@#£##
¶##@@*=~~.                                          .~~=*@@##¶
#@#@*=*~..                                          ..~*=*@#@#