.:=;*$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$*;=:.
..,-^%££#@                                          @#££%^-,..
¨~~/*¤§¶@#                                          #@¶§¤*/~~¨
¨,,=:%%£@@                                          @@£%%:=,,¨
¨-=\=*¤£##                                          ##£¤*=\=-¨
¨¨.»*^£&£#                 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 @@¤$*:-~¨.
,,-†*%&¶## particle  board for  it to dry  on,  but ##¶&%*†-,,
,¨,~/%££@# she   is   worried  and  wants   me   to #@££%/~,¨,
,-~\*£¤@##              throw it away.              ##@¤£*\~-,
,,-~*%@£@#                                          #@£@%*~-,,
¨:-†^*@###                                          ###@*^†-:¨
,¨--^†$@#@                                          @#@$†^--¨,
¨,=;*¤&#@#                                          #@#&¤*;=,¨
¨,:-:†*£##                                          ##£*†:-:,¨
.^=/%%§@##                                          ##@§%%/=^.