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