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