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