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