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