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