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