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