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