,,=\*@##@#                                          #@##@*\=,,
¨-~/**&@##                                          ##@&**/~-¨
.,.¨,~§£¤@                                          @¤£§~,¨.,.
¨..,,==§@#                                          #@§==,,..¨
,~-†=§@¶@@                                          @@¶@§=†-~,
¨,,¨¨,.-*&                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.              ##£#@††=,.
,,=†§@####                                          ####@§†=,,
¨.-†=%¤@##                                          ##@¤%=†-.¨
,-=/*%#£@#                                          #@£#%*/=-,
.¨,,~=^&&£                                          £&&^=~,,¨.
.-~^*£#£##                                          ##£#£*^~-.
¨~=~-/†#@@                                          @@#†/-~=~¨