#@¶@@*=~,.                                          .,~=*@@¶@#
@£¤%$\~,.,                                          ,.,~\$%¤£@
#@#§£^=~.,                                          ,.~=^£§#@#
##@#@£§=-.                                          .-=§£@#@##
#@@@¤††~,,                                          ,,~††¤@@@#
#@¤*%*~¨..                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. ¨«†^$¤@@##
#@@¤&%†~,¨                                          ¨,~†%&¤@@#
@#&£%*~,,. my mom is here  now. i ask her for  some .,,~*%£&#@
#@#&%%;«.¨ particle board  for  it  to  dry on, but ¨.«;%%&#@#
####&¤†;-. she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to .-;†¤&####
##@£%=\=.¨              throw it away.              ¨.=\=%£@##
@#@§^:~¨.¨                                          ¨.¨~:^§@#@
#@@@£*†»¨,                                          ,¨»†*£@@@#
##@@&*%*=¨                                          ¨=*%*&@@##
##@§@$==,.                                          .,==$@§@##
#£§$=†».¨¨                                          ¨¨.»†=$§£#
###¤§^*«.,                                          ,.«*^§¤###