,-~=%$¤###                                          ###¤$%=~-,
,.^-*%@&@#                                          #@&@%*-^.,
.,,,«;†¤£#                                          #£¤†;«,,,.
.¨..:»=*$@                                          @$*=»:..¨.
,.¨~=:%§&@                                          @&§%:=~¨.,
,.-~\§$£@#                 statuette                #@£$§\~-.,
.~«;$§@@##                                          ##@@§$;«~.
.,-»=§£§## %*£¤@§%$%%$&$$§£~~=«=~==¤$§@%&£$%$%%%$*£ ##§£§=»-,.
¨¨.:»=^$§#                 @%%¤£%£&§                #§$^=»:.¨¨
¨¨,¨,=\%@&                                          &@%\=,¨,¨¨
.¨,-~/%¤§@ forests around  my childhood home. thick @§¤%/~-,¨.
.,,»^%%¤@# pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and #@¤%%^»,,.
,-~\%*@###      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ###@*%\~-,
,.,-;=¤### underneath,  sniffing at  the ground. it ###¤=;-,.,
.,¨-~/*%&# is  dark  and moist,  the  canopy having #&%*/~-¨,.
¨,.¨,»^^§¤ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¤§^^»,¨.,¨
,¨.,~**£¤#                                          #¤£**~,.¨,
.,^-\*§¤## there's a river  passing  by,  from east ##¤§*\-^,.
¨.~/$£#### to west, getting broader  and deeper and ####£$/~.¨
¨..=†§@§@# slower  as it  goes. equisetum grow just #@§@§†=..¨
.,,,=:§%£# where   the  pine  hands  start  to  let #£%§:=,,,.
,,¨,:~†§££ through  light,  horsemint  on the rocky ££§†~:,¨,,
,...»=§£@#                river bed.                #@£§=»...,
¨¨:~/=$£@#                                          #@£$=/~:¨¨
.--*§§§###                    \                     ###§§§*--.
,.,~;=*&@#                                          #@&*=;~,.,
.,¨,~/*%§# the  riverbanks reek  of  magic. tonight #§%*/~,¨,.
.,.,,-/^£& they had been a  swampworld with  sylvan &£^/-,,.,.
....«\%%&@ water,  stone  rings  and floating moss. @&%%\«....
.¨~-;%£§## you  could've found me  wallowing around ##§£%;-~¨.
¨,=*=££### on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got ###££=*=,¨
,¨:«=§@§@#                 bitten.                  #@§@§=«:¨,
.,,,=\%$&#                                          #&$%\=,,,.
,,..,~;%¤£ but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid £¤%;~,..,,
.,.^==†@£# ground, in  shoulder-high grass, with an #£@†==^.,.
¨.,»:*§£## orange  tin  radio  and   a  translucent ##£§*:»,.¨
.-~^$$&###      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. @@$$=-,,¨.
.,¨.,«**$&                                          &$**«,.¨,.
..,--/^£#@                    ;                     @#£^/--,..
.,,-^*&&@#                                          #@&&*^-,,.
¨~-^§@&### i am not  followed, and slow down in the ###&@§^-~¨
.¨^=^^*### clearing  where  you  at  first can spot ###*^^=^¨.
..¨,»*§£@# the   house,  not  yet   really  in  the #@£§*»,¨..
,..¨-~/%$§ backyard.  from my pockets i retrieve my §$%/~-¨..,
¨.,~~;*£§# radio  (now  dented)  but also  a  small #§£*;~~,.¨
,.,~;^*§## clay figure i've never  seen before.  it ##§*^;~,.,
,,~;%$¤@## must have been  laying in the wet  dirt, ##@¤$%;~,,
,¨,-†*$@## and  i  must've  picked  it  up with  my ##@$*†-,¨,
¨,¨~=:*££#            other belongings.             #££*:=~¨,¨
¨,.¨-=\%%£                                          £%%\=-¨.,¨
¨,¨^«=%£&@ it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked @&£%=«^¨,¨
¨,,~:%£@## on  her   stomach,  feet  in   the  air, ##@£%:~,,¨
,,~/^$£###   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ###£$^/~,,
¨,-~:*%§## freshly made, not  yet completely dried. ##§%*:~-,¨
¨,¨^«^$§&@                                          @&§$^«^¨,¨
¨.¨¨,~=*¤¤ my mom  is here now. i ask her  for some ¤¤*=~,¨¨.¨
,.,~»†%%&# particle  board  for  it to dry on,  but #&%%†»~,.,
¨,~~*†%¤## she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to ##¤%†*~~,¨
.^-\*¤§@##              throw it away.              ##@§¤*\-^.
¨¨-=^$£###                                          ###£$^=-¨¨
,¨.,~/*$£@                                          @£$*/~,.¨,
.,,,~~\†%§                                          §%†\~~,,,.
¨,.^«†%£##                                          ##£%†«^.,¨
..,-^$¤@##                                          ##@¤$^-,..
,,-=$$&###                                          ###&$$=-,,