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