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