@£†»«..,,.                                          .,,..«»†£@
@¶$^«~~.~,                                          ,~.~~«^$¶@
##££&=:~,,                                          ,,~:=&££##
#@@#¤*^=,,                                          ,,=^*¤#@@#
##@&$§\-..                                          ..-\§$&@##
#§%~~~:-,.                 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. .-»^^$§###
###&@^\-..                                          ..-\^@&###
#£$$«¨¨,.,                     *                    ,.,¨¨«$$£#
##¶§%§^~~.                                          .~~^§%§¶##
#£^*«~-=.. i am not  followed, and slow down in the ..=-~«*^£#
##@#£%:=~¨ clearing  where you  at  first can  spot ¨~=:%£#@##
#$/..¨,,,. the  house,   not  yet   really  in  the .,,,¨../$#
#£*§^,¨¨.¨ backyard.  from my pockets i retrieve my ¨.¨¨,^§*£#
###¤%$^=,, radio  (now  dented)  but  also  a small ,,=^$%¤###
@@¶&%†=~-, clay figure i've never  seen  before. it ,-~=†%&¶@@
#¤§#¤†\-:. must have been laying in the  wet  dirt, .:-\†¤#§¤#
¤%§-:^.... and  i  must've  picked it  up  with  my ....^:-§%¤
&$***%;»:.             other belongings.            .:»;%***$&
#*~:^,.¨.¨                                          ¨.¨.,^:~*#
@##¤£*:=.. it's a statuette  of a girl laying naked ..=:*£¤##@
¤%-¨¨,,¨.. on  her  stomach,  feet  in   the   air, ..¨,,¨¨-%¤
##¶#@*:«-¨   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ¨-«:*@#¶##
###¤%*\=^, freshly made, not yet  completely dried. ,^=\*%¤###
#@£££**~-¨                                          ¨-~**£££@#
####§%§»., my mom  is here  now. i ask her for some ,.»§%§####
@#£†»^¨.¨¨ particle  board  for  it to dry on,  but ¨¨.¨^»†£#@
###@@^=~,. she  is  worried   and   wants   me   to .,~=^@@###
@@†*»¨¨¨.¨              throw it away.              ¨.¨¨¨»*†@@
£@£@&%*~^,                                          ,^~*%&@£@£
@¤$$%$†~-.                                          .-~†$%$$¤@
##@#%*†=.,                                          ,.=†*%#@##
##£@£%*«-.                                          .-«*%£@£##
@†».¨¨....                                          ....¨¨.»†@
#@£#%§†»-¨                                          ¨-»†§%#£@#