##@*§^»-¨,                                          ,¨-»^§*@##
£&*^/»,..¨                                          ¨..,»/^*&£
¤£*^-,...,                                          ,...,-^*£¤
@^†~,,.¨..                                          ..¨.,,~†^@
§$%:~^¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨^~:%$§
£@$*;~..¨¨                 statuette                ¨¨..~;*$@£
#£¤*%†-:.,                                          ,.:-†%*¤£#
##£¤$*/«:. §*¤¤$%£%@%§£$*££»~»~»=»»$%%$&£££$¤$£$$*% .:«/*$¤£##
#¶@¤$/=,.,                 ¤¤&@$&£@$                ,.,=/$¤@¶#
@§¤$*-:..¨                                          ¨..:-*$¤§@
£§*^».,,¨¨ forests around my childhood  home. thick ¨¨,,.»^*§£
¤%:~~¨¨,,. pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and .,,¨¨~~:%¤
££%*~:¨.¨,      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ,¨.¨:~*%££
@@£†*».,,. underneath, sniffing at the  ground.  it .,,.»*†£@@
@##¤$†»,¨. 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 .~~^%&§@##
#@&$=†--,.              throw it away.              .,--†=$&@#
@@*†^»~,..                                          ..,~»^†*@@
#%§:~^.,..                                          ..,.^~:§%#
%*=-~.¨,,¨                                          ¨,,¨.~-=*%
&¤%*-:¨¨.,                                          ,.¨¨:-*%¤&
#@$*/~:¨¨,                                          ,¨¨:~/*$@#
##@£†==,,,                                          ,,,==†£@##