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