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