¨,«*^§¤###                                          ###¤§^*«,¨
¨:=*=*¤#£@                                          @£#¤*=*=:¨
,-~=†%&@##                                          ##@&%†=~-,
..,¨:~«-=@                                          @=-«~:¨,..
,,-\%@¤£@#                                          #@£¤@%\-,,
.,,,/††/%£                 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, &&%%$«,,.,
¨,«*%£¤###   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ###¤£%*«,¨
¨.,¨-»*¤## freshly made, not  yet completely dried. ##¤*»-¨,.¨
..¨,,,=/@@                                          @@/=,,,¨..
.^»:%†*@£¤ my mom is  here now. i ask her  for some ¤£@*†%:»^.
¨¨..:«**¤# particle  board for it  to  dry on,  but #¤**«:..¨¨
¨^»^%£@@@£ she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to £@@@£%^»^¨
¨:«:§£§¤¤¤              throw it away.              ¤¤¤§£§:«:¨
¨~~:$%@###                                          ###@%$:~~¨
¨.»†%£&¶##                                          ##¶&£%†».¨
,.-;%¤£§§#                                          #§§£¤%;-.,
,¨¨,,,»:*£                                          £*:»,,,¨¨,
,^-**&£@##                                          ##@£&**-^,
.^-†^£@¤@£                                          £@¤@£^†-^.