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