.,»*§£§&§¶                                          ¶§&§£§*»,.
,:~*%¤&@##                                          ##@&¤%*~:,
,:-/*&§§##                                          ##§§&*/-:,
¨-=^§§@@##                                          ##@@§§^=-¨
..~/$$§£##                                          ##£§$$/~..
¨.~^†@####                 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 ££@==»~~,¨
,,¨-»$@§@# she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to #@§@$»-¨,,
,,-†%$££##              throw it away.              ##££$%†-,,
.,-†%%##@#                                          #@##%%†-,.
¨^~:†%¤#@#                                          #@#¤%†:~^¨
.-~†*$¤#@#                                          #@#¤$*†~-.
¨:«=^%#£¤&                                          &¤£#%^=«:¨
¨.«\*§¶@##                                          ##@¶§*\«.¨
..¨,.,»§%#                                          #%§»,.,¨..