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