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