##@¤*=»,,.                                          .,,»=*¤@##
##@#£*;~:¨                                          ¨:~;*£#@##
#@£%*=-..¨                                          ¨..-=*%£@#
@@$===,.,,                                          ,,.,===$@@
@*%:~.¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨.~:%*@
@@$^=».,.,                statuette                 ,.,.»=^$@@
##£*%/«^,¨                                          ¨,^«/%*£##
###£%^\=:¨ %§*£$£$£$$¤$$%@@~««~=~=~%$§%¤¤$*§£@§¤*%£ ¨:=\^%£###
##@%^:«:,.                $&£*%@%%%                 .,:«:^%@##
##&††~^..¨                                          ¨..^~††&##
#%^;=,.¨.. forests around  my childhood home. thick ..¨.,=;^%#
##@*/»..¨, pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and ,¨..»/*@##
##@*^/-~,,      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ,,~-/^*@##
####$^:~~, 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.              ¨.:-;=$###
###£**=-~.                                          .~-=**£###
###$=\«~¨¨                                          ¨¨~«\=$###
##§*=».¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.»=*§##
@***-,¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨,-***@
#@§%=-^,¨,                                          ,¨,^-=%§@#
##@@%†~~..                                          ..~~†%@@##