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