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