.,.¨:~:%£&                                          &£%:~:¨.,.
¨¨.,-^%*##                                          ##*%^-,.¨¨
.¨~»;=@&£@                                          @£&@=;»~¨.
¨~=†*$£###                                          ###£$*†=~¨
¨.^-*^$###                                          ###$^*-^.¨
¨¨,,»=$%£¶                statuette                 ¶£%$=»,,¨¨
,¨¨,,«;%&#                                          #&%;«,,¨¨,
...,,:-†^% *$@&££*§%£@¤%%§$«»~~~»-=§*££$$&%$%&*£$§§ %^†-:,,...
¨,,,,~*%$¤                &§§&@£¤§&                 ¤$%*~,,,,¨
,¨,:~†^*##                                          ##*^†~:,¨,
,,,»:=$@@# forests around my childhood  home. thick #@@$=:»,,,
,^-\†£§#@# pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and #@#§£†\-^,
,.^~^*¤@##      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ##@¤*^~^.,
.,¨,-=*§#£ underneath, sniffing  at  the ground. it £#§*=-,¨,.
,¨,,~«*%§£ is dark  and  moist, the  canopy  having £§%*«~,,¨,
¨¨¨.¨-«^** already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. **^«-¨.¨¨¨
¨.¨.:=/*%&                                          &%*/=:.¨.¨
¨,,:~*§%&¶ there's a  river  passing by, from  east ¶&%§*~:,,¨
.,.«/†£#@# to west, getting broader and deeper  and #@#£†/«.,.
,~«\%$@@@# slower as it  goes.  equisetum grow just #@@@$%\«~,
¨¨~~†§$£@@ where   the  pine  hands  start  to  let @@£$§†~~¨¨
,..~«†=£&# through  light, horsemint on  the  rocky #&£=†«~..,
,...^-/=&£                river bed.                £&=/-^...,
.¨,¨.,~†%§                                          §%†~,.¨,¨.
¨¨.¨:~/$§§                    \                     §§$/~:¨.¨¨
..¨~~:^%¤£                                          £¤%^:~~¨..
.¨,~†=&@@@ the riverbanks reek  of  magic.  tonight @@@&=†~,¨.
¨:»†=£&@## they had  been a  swampworld with sylvan ##@&£=†»:¨
.¨,»;^£§£@ water, stone  rings and  floating  moss. @£§£^;»,¨.
,¨¨-«*$$&@ 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.              #@%/=^..¨,
¨..,-^=£##                                          ##£=^-,..¨
¨,,-^*££#@                                          @#££*^-,,¨
,.«;^%&@##                                          ##@&%^;«.,
.¨,«*§&£¶#                                          #¶£&§*«,¨.
¨...-^*%£#                                          #£%*^-...¨
¨.¨¨:-;*@£                                          £@*;-:¨¨.¨