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