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