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