¨,,:~:=%@@                                          @@%=:~:,,¨
,.-=†^$@@#                                          #@@$^†=-.,
.,~*§§####                                          ####§§*~,.
¨¨~»/†$###                                          ###$†/»~¨¨
¨,.,~/%%@#                                          #@%%/~,.,¨
,¨¨,~-/=*@                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.              ^»-.,,,,.,
,¨.¨,,,.,~                                          ~,.,,,¨.¨,
¨¨¨.,..¨.,                                          ,.¨..,.¨¨¨
¨.,..,.,^~                                          ~^,.,..,.¨
¨,,,¨.,,-^                                          ^-,,.¨,,,¨
..,¨..~~:=                                          =:~~..¨,..
¨,..,-«\*£                                          £*\«-,..,¨