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