..«:§%&@@#                                          #@@&%§:«..
,,:«/%$¤¶@                                          @¶¤$%/«:,,
,-~;*@¤£##                                          ##£¤@*;~-,
¨,:=**%§@@                                          @@§%**=:,¨
¨-«†*&@¶@#                                          #@¶@&*†«-¨
¨..-/*$&#@                 statuette                @#&$*/-..¨
..-††*@@##                                          ##@@*††-..
,.,»\§$&#@ @@$§*¤$£§££%%%@%»~=~~~~-$*%§*£@§$&£§$¤%% @#&$§\»,.,
.~-:%$¤@##                ¤@@@£**@$                 ##@¤$%:-~.
¨,:=\$£¤##                                          ##¤£$\=:,¨
,^-;=£#£## 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 #@¤$^†».¨.
.:~=*§¤¶##              throw it away.              ##¶¤§*=~:.
.,-~:%££#@                                          @#££%:~-,.
,,~;%£##@#                                          #@##£%;~,,
¨.^~\^£&@#                                          #@&£^\~^.¨
.,-=**££##                                          ##££**=-,.
.,^=/*$§#@                                          @#§$*/=^,.
¨:~††%@£@#                                          #@£@%††~:¨