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