#$†=~^¨¨..                                          ..¨¨^~=†$#
##@¤£$/»,,                                          ,,»/$£¤@##
###&¤%:~-.                                          .-~:%¤&###
##@@£*\=,,                                          ,,=\*£@@##
###&@†;~~¨                                          ¨~~;†@&###
@@$¤\-¨¨,.                 statuette                .,¨¨-\¤$@@
##@@£*/~:¨                                          ¨:~/*£@@##
###§*%=»~¨ £%¤%%@$**@£&$££%~---»«~~¤$%£$***§%@$*£££ ¨~»=%*§###
§#$*-~¨...                &$£¤§¤£$£                 ...¨~-*$#§
&%/««=.,¨.                                          .¨,.=««/%&
##¶¤$$;~^¨ forests  around my childhood home. thick ¨^~;$$¤¶##
##@¤&$==~¨ pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and ¨~==$&¤@##
###§%^;~..       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.              ¨,¨,^\§§@¤
&*%%^*^~,¨                                          ¨,~^*^%%*&
#@*~¨¨,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,¨¨~*@#
##££$=†~^,                                          ,^~†=$££##
###@$†:-^,                                          ,^-:†$@###
##@#$*;~.¨                                          ¨.~;*$#@##
#@@&§**=-,                                          ,-=**§&@@#