###@&$/~~.                                          .~~/$&@###
###$=\»^,.                                          .,^»\=$###
##@@&%^=.,                                          ,.=^%&@@##
##&%%/=-,.                                          .,-=/%%&##
###£@*†«^¨                                          ¨^«†*@£###
##§%*;~-¨¨                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. ¨¨~«\†$£##
##@§@%;»,¨                                          ¨,»;%@§@##
#@¤£§*»,.¨ my  mom is here  now. i ask her for some ¨.,»*§£¤@#
###&§=:=~, particle  board for it to  dry  on,  but ,~=:=§&###
##@%%/~,¨¨ she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to ¨¨,~/%%@##
###§%%†»~¨              throw it away.              ¨~»†%%§###
#@@@$=«,¨¨                                          ¨¨,«=$@@@#
##@#£*†»^,                                          ,^»†*£#@##
#@#$=:»,,,                                          ,,,»:=$#@#
###@£$†=,,                                          ,,=†$£@###
###**\=~.,                                          ,.~=\**###
###£%=:-.,                                          ,.-:=%£###