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