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