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