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