¨^«;££#@##                                          ##@#££;«^¨
.,,«*£@¶@#                                          #@¶@£*«,,.
.¨,~»†§@@#                                          #@@§†»~,¨.
,,.,,~†@£¶                                          ¶£@†~,,.,,
,,¨.,^=/¤&                                          &¤/=^,.¨,,
.¨,,.,~=^&                 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, ¤$:-...¨.¨
....,¨,~^£ and  i  must've  picked  it  up with  my £^~,¨,....
¨.,,¨..,~/            other belongings.             /~,..¨,,.¨
.,,,,,..,-                                          -,..,,,,,.
,¨,,,,¨-~* it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked *~-¨,,,,¨,
¨,....^~=% on  her  stomach,   feet  in  the   air, %=~^....,¨
.¨,¨¨:=†%#   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   #%†=:¨¨,¨.
.¨¨¨:~=¤§@ freshly made, not yet  completely dried. @§¤=~:¨¨¨.
¨,,.~:&§@#                                          #@§&:~.,,¨
¨¨:~*%£### my mom  is here now. i  ask her for some ###£%*~:¨¨
¨.-;&£@@## particle board  for  it  to dry  on, but ##@@£&;-.¨
.,,=*&#@## she   is   worried  and   wants   me  to ##@#&*=,,.
,,..«:¤@@#              throw it away.              #@@¤:«..,,
..,¨.~;£@#                                          #@£;~.¨,..
¨,.¨.~»\$#                                          #$\»~.¨.,¨
¨¨.,,.^»*$                                          $*»^.,,.¨¨
,..¨¨,.,-/                                          /-,.,¨¨..,
¨,,.,¨¨,^~                                          ~^,¨¨,.,,¨
,¨,¨¨.¨~«/                                          /«~¨.¨¨,¨,