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