.,=^*§@¶##                                          ##¶@§*^=,.
¨~=†%$#@##                                          ##@#$%†=~¨
.,»*^£§###                                          ###§£^*»,.
¨~«=%&§#@#                                          #@#§&%=«~¨
.,,¨..,-%&                                          &%-,..¨,,.
¨^«*^*§£##                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. £@$%%;^«-.
.-=*=£@¶@#                                          #@¶@£=*=-.
¨--;^*§@## my mom is here now.  i  ask her for some ##@§*^;--¨
,,«=†§@### particle board  for  it to  dry on,  but ###@§†=«,,
,.,¨,-:/%@ she   is  worried   and  wants   me   to @%/:-,¨,.,
¨,¨¨¨«%@#¤              throw it away.              ¤#@%«¨¨¨,¨
¨,~\*$@##@                                          @##@$*\~,¨
.¨..\=†%£§                                          §£%†=\..¨.
..¨,¨»«*£§                                          §£*«»¨,¨..
¨^=^†£@###                                          ###@£†^=^¨
,.¨==%$§£@                                          @£§$%==¨.,
.^=*†%¤¶@@                                          @@¶¤%†*=^.