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