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