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