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