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