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