¨.--=**@@#                                          #@@**=--.¨
¨^~^%§£@##                                          ##@£§%^~^¨
.,,=†$§@@#                                          #@@§$†=,,.
¨..--/§&&#                                          #&&§/--..¨
..¨¨,~^†$@                                          @$†^~,¨¨..
.,,,,~~*%%                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 #@§£$:=,¨,
..~†*£@¶## she   is  worried   and   wants   me  to ##¶@£*†~..
,.-»*=&§@#              throw it away.              #@§&=*»-.,
..,:»:^§£@                                          @£§^:»:,..
,¨.,~=/*&£                                          £&*/=~,.¨,
,¨.¨¨:-;†$                                          $†;-:¨¨.¨,
,.¨,¨,,«:^                                          ^:«,,¨,¨.,
,,,..^~\=¤                                          ¤=\~^..,,,
¨¨¨.,=/%@§                                          §@%/=,.¨¨¨