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