.,«^=*####                                          ####*=^«,.
.¨,,~«=*%&                                          &%*=«~,,¨.
¨^»=^%¤@##                                          ##@¤%^=»^¨
.,.,¨»=:¤#                                          #¤:=»¨,.,.
¨¨¨~~~=@##                                          ##@=~~~¨¨¨
¨:=*^^%$¶@                 statuette                @¶$%^^*=:¨
¨,~\%&&£##                                          ##£&&%\~,¨
,^=;%$@¶## %££$%§¤%§&¤%£%$@--~~==»=£%£$*@%£%%%&*£@£ ##¶@$%;=^,
.,^^§§####                *&@%&$@£&                 ####§§^^,.
.,.¨-~«^%¤                                          ¤%^«~-¨.,.
¨:~/*$§££# forests around my childhood  home. thick #££§$*/~:¨
,,,,^~/†£# 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 ###§¤=/«^¨
,-=^†$¤@## she  is  worried   and   wants   me   to ##@¤$†^=-,
.:==$%££##              throw it away.              ##££%$==:.
...^;^$%##                                          ##%$^;^...
.-~/*%&@@#                                          #@@&%*/~-.
.¨-~*=%§##                                          ##§%=*~-¨.
.:~\\%*%%£                                          £%%*%\\~:.
¨,.¨..~*@£                                          £@*~..¨.,¨
¨,-=†@@¶##                                          ##¶@@†=-,¨