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