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