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