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