..~~/^@£@#                                          #@£@^/~~..
¨,.:-;$¤¤@                                          @¤¤$;-:.,¨
..¨,.~^%$#                                          #$%^~.,¨..
.,.¨¨~»^§*                                          *§^»~¨¨.,.
.,¨¨--†^£@                                          @£^†--¨¨,.
,.,~«*$%#@                statuette                 @#%$*«~,.,
,.,-=%£&##                                          ##&£%=-,.,
,,~***¤### £%&££@*%*%%*§$%£»»~»=»=~¤§$%$¤$*$£$%@@&¤ ###¤***~,,
..:-:§£¤@#                 *§§§§¤£&$                #@¤£§:-:..
¨,¨:-\†*&¶                                          ¶&*†\-:¨,¨
¨,..^»*†$£ forests around my childhood  home. thick £$†*»^..,¨
.¨¨¨,~~;=§ 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.              #¶£%%†=,.¨
¨,¨:«*=*£@                                          @£*=*«:¨,¨
...,.«:§%#                                          #%§:«.,...
¨..¨¨:-:†¤                                          ¤†:-:¨¨..¨
¨..,:«=^$@                                          @$^=«:,..¨
¨,.-~*%$£#                                          #£$%*~-.,¨
¨¨:~†*¤§@#                                          #@§¤*†~:¨¨