###&&*;~:.                                          .:~;*&&###
##§$$*=,¨¨                                          ¨¨,=*$$§##
##@@§§†»,,                                          ,,»†§§@@##
#£#¤$\~:..                                          ..:~\$¤#£#
##@§&*:«-¨                                          ¨-«:*&§@##
#@&%†;».,¨                 statuette                ¨,.»;†%&@#
##£#¤*=«~.                                          .~«=*¤#£##
##&$§:~~.. £%%&£*§&&§%£@&§@»~~~~~~~@££*£@%§¤$%$£$@§ ..~~:§$&##
##£#%%^=-¨                ¤££&%&%%¤                 ¨-=^%%#£##
#¶¤@==»,,.                                          .,,»==@¤¶#
###¤$†\--. forests  around my childhood home. thick .--\†$¤###
###§%:~^.. 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.              ¨~-*=£&@##
##£%*†~:..                                          ..:~†*%£##
##@#**^».¨                                          ¨.»^**#@##
#¶£&$=~,,,                                          ,,,~=$&£¶#
##¶¤§§\~^,                                          ,^~\§§¤¶##
###£=*~:¨,                                          ,¨:~*=£###
##@£$†^-,,                                          ,,-^†$£@##