,,«*%¤@£##                                          ##£@¤%*«,,
¨.~/§£@¶@#                                          #@¶@£§/~.¨
,.¨¨.»»=£@                                          @£=»».¨¨.,
¨~==*§£££#                                          #£££§*==~¨
,,¨.,=%$§£                                          £§$%=,.¨,,
,~»*=§£@##                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. #¶#¤&$^=^.
¨.»:$$#@##                                          ##@#$$:».¨
¨,~=^¤#### my mom is here now. i ask  her for  some ####¤^=~,¨
,..^~~†§§@ particle board  for it  to  dry on,  but @§§†~~^..,
.-«/%*#@## she   is  worried   and  wants   me   to ##@#*%/«-.
,¨,..,«/*@              throw it away.              @*/«,..,¨,
¨.==†$£$$#                                          #$$£$†==.¨
,.¨:,==$%#                                          #%$==,:¨.,
..,,.~%#@#                                          #@#%~.,,..
.,=;%£#@@#                                          #@@#£%;=,.
...¨..«=#@                                          @#=«..¨...
.~===;=&##                                          ##&=;===~.