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