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