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