,,¨»=-=-=@                                          @=-=-=»¨,,
..:~*^†@&#                                          #&@†^*~:..
¨.¨,»~†%†&                                          &†%†~»,¨.¨
.~-/%*&###                                          ###&*%/-~.
.,»:†£@###                                          ###@£†:»,.
.,»:$*£@##                 statuette                ##@£*$:»,.
¨,,¨¨-\§%#                                          #%§\-¨¨,,¨
,.~\$@¶@## &%@&¤%£%%$¤$££$*»»~»-»~»%$&£*&%*£%£¤£%&@ ##@¶@$\~.,
¨¨.¨¨,/&@¶                 %%%*@*§%%                ¶@&/,¨¨.¨¨
,^»^§$&##@                                          @##&$§^»^,
..,,:*†*@# forests around my childhood  home. thick #@*†*:,,..
,~-^*£§¶## pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and ##¶§£*^-~,
.:»†%£¤###      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ###¤£%†»:.
.¨.¨^«=*†@ underneath,  sniffing at the ground.  it @†*=«^¨.¨.
¨,=\$$&@## 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 £$$/~-,¨.¨
,.««»\\@¤§ clearing  where you  at  first can  spot §¤@\\»««.,
.~«:=£$§£# the  house,  not  yet  really   in   the #£§$£=:«~.
,,.¨¨=$¤## backyard. from my pockets  i retrieve my ##¤$=¨¨.,,
,,=††$&£@# radio  (now  dented)  but  also a  small #@£&$††=,,
.,~^$¤@£@# clay  figure  i've never seen before. it #@£@¤$^~,.
,,»;§£§@## must have been laying in the  wet  dirt, ##@§£§;»,,
¨:»/%¤&&¤# and  i  must've  picked  it  up  with my #¤&&¤%/»:¨
.~«\%*#@##             other belongings.            ##@#*%\«~.
¨:~*=%§£#@                                          @#£§%=*~:¨
,^=;££¶### it's a statuette of  a girl laying naked ###¶££;=^,
.,~†$¤#@@# on   her  stomach,  feet   in  the  air, #@@#¤$†~,.
.¨¨¨~^%*$@   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   @$*%^~¨¨¨.
,,-\%%££@# freshly made,  not yet completely dried. #@££%%\-,,
¨,.¨.¨¨«=#                                          #=«¨¨.¨.,¨
¨~^.;*%†§# my mom is  here now. i ask her for  some #§†%*;.^~¨
¨,¨:/\£§¤# particle  board for it  to dry  on,  but #¤§£\/:¨,¨
.,¨.,-~§£@ she   is  worried   and   wants  me   to @£§~-,.¨,.
¨^»/*$&¤##              throw it away.              ##¤&$*/»^¨
,.~†%$####                                          ####$%†~.,
,,=/$¤@@##                                          ##@@¤$/=,,
,-«^†%§£##                                          ##£§%†^«-,
,.=*%@£###                                          ###£@%*=.,
..¨.-~§§&§                                          §&§§~-.¨..
,--\$$§£#@                                          @#£§$$\--,