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