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