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