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