.^~*%%##@#                                          #@##%%*~^.
¨,,,^«~†¤#                                          #¤†~«^,,,¨
¨,«;%%@###                                          ###@%%;«,¨
¨:»^^¤@@##                                          ##@@¤^^»:¨
.-~††%§@@#                                          #@@§%††~-.
,-=;$$¤###                 statuette                ###¤$$;=-,
¨,~^*£§@##                                          ##@§£*^~,¨
.,«^^†§$&@ £§%@@¤%££&&%§¤%$~=~»»~==*§£*$%¤%@§¤$&%@& @&$§†^^«,.
,^~††£§#@#                &&¤*%@§**                 #@#§£††~^,
¨.=†=£@£##                                          ##£@£=†=.¨
,-»:^@£¶## forests around  my childhood home. thick ##¶£@^:»-,
,,,¨~.†;$& 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.              @%^^=»¨¨¨.
¨,-*=;*¤&@                                          @&¤*;=*-,¨
,^~*$*@¶##                                          ##¶@*$*~^,
.«\%£@£###                                          ###£@£%\«.
¨¨¨,~=*£@#                                          #@£*=~,¨¨¨
.,«;*&@@##                                          ##@@&*;«,.
,~-:=$&@##                                          ##@&$=:-~,