#@¶#§%;»^,                                          ,^»;%§#¶@#
#£@§%§*~,.                                          .,~*§%§@£#
#@¶&£*:~,¨                                          ¨,~:*£&¶@#
#@@££§†~^.                                          .^~†§££@@#
§¤#£¤††»~¨                                          ¨~»††¤£#¤§
#§*~«-.,¨.                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 .,,,.,*$#@
#£@£=%*=~,             other belongings.            ,~=*%=£@£#
£$%*:,.¨.¨                                          ¨.¨.,:*%$£
##@@£%*†-. it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked .-†*%£@@##
@¤*:,.,.,. on   her  stomach,   feet  in  the  air, .,.,.,:*¤@
##¶@&%†»~,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,~»†%&@¶##
###§&==~^¨ freshly made, not yet  completely dried. ¨^~==&§###
#$*=†^,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,^†=*$#
#^\:~^,,.¨ my mom is here now. i ask  her for  some ¨.,,^~:\^#
@§%~.,,,.¨ particle  board  for it to  dry  on, but ¨.,,,.~%§@
£§*^,..,.¨ she   is  worried   and   wants  me   to ¨.,..,^*§£
&%*/~¨¨...              throw it away.              ...¨¨~/*%&
#¤^%=/....                                          ..../=%^¤#
#%*†~^,¨,.                                          .,¨,^~†*%#
#£†.,¨,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,¨,.†£#
##@¤*^;~,¨                                          ¨,~;^*¤@##
@&£&$*=«^,                                          ,^«=*$&£&@
##@#$*/»:,                                          ,:»/*$#@##