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