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