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