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