..:»*=#¶@#                                          #@¶#=*»:..
.¨¨:«=%¤@@                                          @@¤%=«:¨¨.
¨,~-=*@¶##                                          ##¶@*=-~,¨
.:=;*&¶###                                          ###¶&*;=:.
¨.:~\*¤@##                                          ##@¤*\~:.¨
,..:~\§@¶#                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 #@@#$/~,.¨
¨--:%@#### she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to ####@%:--¨
,.,-††@###              throw it away.              ###@††-,.,
,,¨,~=%#£#                                          #£#%=~,¨,,
.¨~-\*&@##                                          ##@&*\-~¨.
,~=\^£####                                          ####£^\=~,
¨¨:-†$£#@#                                          #@#£$†-:¨¨
¨.,,-=$@@#                                          #@@$=-,,.¨
,.:»^*&£##                                          ##£&*^»:.,