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