¨:~§*§####                                          ####§*§~:¨
,¨¨...†%$#                                          #$%†...¨¨,
¨¨.,,~~%¤#                                          #¤%~~,,.¨¨
¨¨.¨,»-^&@                                          @&^-»,¨.¨¨
,,,¨»;\/$§                                          §$/\;»¨,,,
¨,.¨~«$$¤#                statuette                 #¤$$«~¨.,¨
,,~**%%¤@@                                          @@¤%%**~,,
¨,=^%@&### $£$£@*%*£$§§§*$&»«=~-~~~£¤*@%$£$%¤£*£$¤& ###&@%^=,¨
,¨¨.:-:%£¤                 $$@§$@%**                ¤£%:-:.¨¨,
,-~\§££@##                                          ##@££§\~-,
¨.¨¨:»;†^# forests around my  childhood home. thick #^†;»:¨¨.¨
¨.~\=%§£## pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and ##£§%=\~.¨
,,~\*%¤§#@       forgotten. wild boars roaming      @#§¤%*\~,,
,-=«~-:£§@ underneath, sniffing  at the  ground. it @§£:-~«=-,
,.~/^§##@# is dark  and  moist, the  canopy  having #@##§^/~.,
.~»\%%&@## already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ##@&%%\»~.
¨¨^=«-;*%@                                          @%*;-«=^¨¨
¨¨.,«=;%## there's  a river  passing  by, from east ##%;=«,.¨¨
¨..,,~~/§# to west, getting broader and  deeper and #§/~~,,..¨
,:«\%*$$£# 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.              #£$¤%†/-:.
.,.»~-~«$&                                          &$«~-~».,.
¨^.-,,=*£#                                          #£*=,,-.^¨
,.¨..~\†%#                                          #%†\~..¨.,
¨,,.,~~%#£                                          £#%~~,.,,¨
¨,¨.¨.»§¤@                                          @¤§».¨.¨,¨
..¨,:^*$¤£                                          £¤$*^:,¨..