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