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