¨-~:*@#@##                                          ##@#@*:~-¨
,~»††$&###                                          ###&$††»~,
¨.,.¨,^-*§                                          §*-^,¨.,.¨
¨.¨~,=£%$@                                          @$%£=,~¨.¨
,,=\§%£@@@                                          @@@£%§\=,,
,,==$*@###                 statuette                ###@*$==,,
,..~==:&£#                                          #£&:==~..,
¨,«\%§#### $$*§$££$&$%%&£@£~~»=~»»~@*%&&$%%§%%%@£$$ ####§%\«,¨
¨,~^=†^$£#                 %$$$$$%*$                #£$^†=^~,¨
¨.»/*&§§#@                                          @#§§&*/».¨
,--;$%¤@## forests around my  childhood home. thick ##@¤%$;--,
,-~=*@@@## pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and ##@@@*=~-,
.,»=$¤@###       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ###@¤$=»,.
¨,,~/=$%#& underneath, sniffing at  the ground.  it &#%$=/~,,¨
.~»:*¤£@@@ is  dark  and  moist,  the canopy having @@@£¤*:»~.
,:*†&££### already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ###££&†*:,
,.~=*@¤¶##                                          ##¶¤@*=~.,
¨:-=^;@@£@ there's  a  river  passing by, from east @£@@;^=-:¨
¨,.¨,~:;@# to  west, getting broader and deeper and #@;:~,¨.,¨
...,,«§§£# slower as  it  goes. equisetum grow just #£§§«,,...
,,-:%@£@## where  the  pine  hands   start  to  let ##@£@%:-,,
,^=**£&£## through light,  horsemint  on the  rocky ##£&£**=^,
.,~\^@#@##                river bed.                ##@#@^\~,.
..¨.¨,/%##                                          ##%/,¨.¨..
,.¨¨.~=§%§                     †                    §%§=~.¨¨.,
.,..^:=§§¤                                          ¤§§=:^..,.
,,~\§%@@&¤ the  riverbanks  reek  of magic. tonight ¤&@@%§\~,,
.~~=§§@### they had been  a swampworld with  sylvan ###@§§=~~.
.-~=*%£@£@ water, stone rings  and  floating  moss. @£@£%*=~-.
¨¨¨,,=*£¤# you  could've found me wallowing  around #¤£*=,,¨¨¨
¨.,,¨¨«†%¤ on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got ¤%†«¨¨,,.¨
¨¨,.^»*†*@                  bitten.                 @*†*»^.,¨¨
¨.~^^$&£@#                                          #@£&$^^~.¨
,~~:£@#### but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid ####@£:~~,
.,.,:~%%@# ground, in  shoulder-high grass, with an #@%%~:,.,.
.,¨¨,-^=*# orange  tin  radio  and   a  translucent #*=^-,¨¨,.
¨--*§=$$@@      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.              ##%=\~»^,¨
¨^~\=*@###                                          ###@*=\~^¨
...,-%$£$#                                          #$£$%-,...
,~-^%£&@##                                          ##@&£%^-~,
.~-†**&#@@                                          @@#&**†-~.
¨-~†*%§@@#                                          #@@§%*†~-¨
,.~*†£§£¶#                                          #¶£§£†*~.,