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