§@£\.¨¨.¨.                                          .¨.¨¨.\£@§
###&£$*-,.                                          .,-*$£&###
##£&&%^»^¨                                          ¨^»^%&&£##
#§†:/«,,¨,                                          ,¨,,«/:†§#
#§$†~~.¨.¨                                          ¨.¨.~~†$§#
##@##&^\:.                 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   ¨-=^^$@£##
###¤@%\=~, freshly made, not yet  completely dried. ,~=\%@¤###
£*^-,¨,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,¨,-^*£
#%/~¨¨,¨., my mom is  here now. i ask  her for some ,.¨,¨¨~/%#
##@#¤*=~-. particle board  for  it  to dry on,  but .-~=*¤#@##
#%†\--.... she   is  worried   and   wants   me  to ....--\†%#
##¶¤@*†=,¨              throw it away.              ¨,=†*@¤¶##
¤§£=:,¨.,.                                          .,.¨,:=£§¤
###@@%/=^,                                          ,^=/%@@###
#£$%:~:.,¨                                          ¨,.:~:%$£#
§*^«,¨¨..,                                          ,..¨¨,«^*§
#£#§$*\-..                                          ..-\*$§#£#
##@@£*:«~¨                                          ¨~«:*£@@##