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