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