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