#£&%;*\»,.                                          .,»\*;%&£#
#@£§$%=»-¨                                          ¨-»=%$§£@#
#@#££§:»,,                                          ,,»:§££#@#
#&§¤*=-,,.                                          .,,-=*¤§&#
#@¤*\-,..¨                                          ¨..,-\*¤@#
#££$\*-.,,                 statuette                ,,.-*\$££#
##@§$^;=-.                                          .-=;^$§@##
####$§\=-, @¤¤@§*§$&¤%%£%%@»~~«~-==$£££$@%*£@@@$*§§ ,-=\§$####
&£&$=.¨,,.                 ££&$§&&@$                .,,¨.=$&£&
##£@$^;«.,                                          ,.«;^$@£##
&=$=§$:»,¨ forests around  my childhood home. thick ¨,»:$§=$=&
&@%==¨,.¨. pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and .¨.,¨==%@&
###§$^*=~.      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.              ¨,-*=£###@
###@£$==..                                          ..==$£@###
#@##§*†»-¨                                          ¨-»†*§##@#
@&†-,,¨¨,¨                                          ¨,¨¨,,-†&@
##¶£%=;--.                                          .--;=%£¶##
##@#*§^~^¨                                          ¨^~^§*#@##
##£#£§/=..                                          ..=/§£#£##