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