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