##£§£$/~:.                                          .:~/$£§£##
#@£#@$^«^,                                          ,^«^$@#£@#
###@#%*-~¨                                          ¨~-*%#@###
@£/~=~-¨..                                          ..¨-~=~/£@
#@##&*==..                                          ..==*&##@#
###¤@$:~,¨                statuette                 ¨,~:$@¤###
@#¶£$**-,¨                                          ¨,-**$£¶#@
##@#§=\-~¨ $££%&£$£&$£££¤$£=«~=«~==$$&*§$&§%££%££$& ¨~-\=§#@##
##¶¤§*=-,.                £**%&%*$@                 .,-=*§¤¶##
#§§=»,..,,                                          ,,..,»=§§#
#@§=;~,¨¨, forests around my childhood  home. thick ,¨¨,~;=§@#
§¤%=†^,,,, pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and ,,,,^†=%¤§
#@@@*§/»,¨       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ¨,»/§*@@@#
¶##§%%/~~, underneath, sniffing  at the  ground. it ,~~/%%§##¶
#@@§¤*;~^. is  dark and moist,  the  canopy  having .^~;*¤§@@#
§^~.,,.¨¨¨ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¨¨¨.,,.~^§
#@@†=%\«:.                                          .:«\%=†@@#
###¶#*†»~¨ there's a  river  passing by, from  east ¨~»†*#¶###
£¤&$§==-,, 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.              ,¨¨¨,-†@##
##¶¤$*\«,¨                                          ¨,«\*$¤¶##
@#^$«,,,..                                          ..,,,«$^#@
##£§§*\~-.                                          .-~\*§§£##
@¤&@%$/~.,                                          ,.~/$%@&¤@
#§†«..,.,¨                                          ¨,.,..«†§#
###££=/«.¨                                          ¨.«/=££###