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