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