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