##@=^\-.¨,                                          ,¨.-\^=@##
#§&£/::«:¨                                          ¨:«::/£&§#
@@£@&%*»,¨                                          ¨,»*%&@£@@
#@¤§$%*~:,                                          ,:~*%$§¤@#
###§@^/-^.                                          .^-/^@§###
##@§$%:~,¨                statuette                 ¨,~:%$§@##
#@%%@§==,.                                          .,==§@%%@#
@#&=;~~,,, £§$$@$£$%£%$$*£*-~=»=~«»@%§*@@££$$¤%£$$§ ,,,~~;=&#@
#@£@$$†=:¨                %%$%§*£%£                 ¨:=†$$@£@#
#@*~,,..,.                                          .,..,,~*@#
##@@&*^~~. 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 .~-;$%@¤£@
##@#*%*«,, clay figure  i've never seen before.  it ,,«*%*#@##
#£%§†»,..¨ must have  been laying in the  wet dirt, ¨..,»†§%£#
@##¤§%†-~¨ and  i  must've  picked  it  up  with my ¨~-†%§¤##@
##@§*%;~~.             other belongings.            .~~;%*§@##
#@@§$*==,.                                          .,==*$§@@#
###¶£§:~,, it's a statuette of a  girl laying naked ,,~:§£¶###
§*=.,,,.,. on   her  stomach,  feet   in  the  air, .,.,,,.=*§
§=%^†=*«.,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,.«*=†^%=§
£¶&//~^,¨, freshly made, not yet  completely dried. ,¨,^~//&¶£
#£=%=.¨..¨                                          ¨..¨.=%=£#
@@§*:†:~.¨ my mom  is here now. i ask her  for some ¨.~:†:*§@@
@¤#^«=--¨¨ particle  board for  it  to  dry on, but ¨¨--=«^#¤@
##@¤¤†=«:. she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to .:«=†¤¤@##
##£££§^~,,              throw it away.              ,,~^§£££##
###@$^:»^.                                          .^»:^$@###
#£¤%%%^-~.                                          .~-^%%%¤£#
#§§§&%^-..                                          ..-^%&§§§#
@&§-~.,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,.~-§&@
##£#&$/»,,                                          ,,»/$&#£##
£*«^.¨...,                                          ,...¨.^«*£