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