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