###£@£^^«^                                          ^«^^£@£###
##=*%/,,.,                                          ,.,,/%*=##
&%%;-,¨¨.,                                          ,.¨¨,-;%%&
@§#%*†\-:,                                          ,:-\†*%#§@
##@¤%§*~:.                                          .:~*§%¤@##
##@@£†*=:.                 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 ¨,~;$$####
§@£§†..¨,. backyard. from my pockets  i retrieve my .,¨..†§£@§
¶#$=§«,... radio (now  dented)  but  also  a  small ...,«§=$#¶
§^\:,...¨, clay figure  i've never seen  before. it ,¨...,:\^§
#£##§†;--¨ must have  been laying in the  wet dirt, ¨--;†§##£#
#&††:¨¨,,, and  i  must've picked  it  up  with  my ,,,¨¨:††&#
¶*%;,,¨,¨¨             other belongings.            ¨¨,¨,,;%*¶
#@##@%:~,¨                                          ¨,~:%@##@#
£@@@**=~,¨ it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked ¨,~=**@@@£
@¶&$%=\»~. on   her  stomach,  feet   in  the  air, .~»\=%$&¶@
¶$&%%»=^,.   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   .,^=»%%&$¶
#@§$§=/=~¨ freshly made, not yet completely  dried. ¨~=/=§$§@#
##**†$=~^.                                          .^~=$†**##
#¤%@£*\«~, my mom  is here now.  i ask her for some ,~«\*£@%¤#
@%^*~»,¨¨. particle  board for  it to  dry  on, but .¨¨,»~*^%@
¶£§§£†==.. she   is   worried  and  wants   me   to ..==†£§§£¶
##¶&%^;=,.              throw it away.              .,=;^%&¶##
#£†%/=«.,,                                          ,,.«=/%†£#
@£#£*»,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,»*£#£@
##@&£§*«:,                                          ,:«*§£&@##
##@##$*~:.                                          .:~*$##@##
#@##$$^-:.                                          .:-^$$##@#
¶&£/~~~,¨¨                                          ¨¨,~~~/£&¶