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