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