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