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