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