¨.~/^@#@##                                          ##@#@^/~.¨
.--=*%@¶@#                                          #@¶@%*=--.
.-»;†£§###                                          ###§£†;»-.
,~=\§%£###                                          ###£%§\=~,
..,.,*&#§¤                                          ¤§#&*,.,..
¨,~==$£###                 statuette                ###£$==~,¨
.,¨¨¨^,~*§                                          §*~,^¨¨¨,.
.,~~;;%£%# £§%¤$*£%*%$££*$§«»~«-~»«%%££§§*@$&@$&%$@ #%£%;;~~,.
.¨.¨,^\*£&                 £%£$§§§*£                &£*\^,¨.¨.
,,~/%$@@##                                          ##@@$%/~,,
.,«:§*@### forests around  my childhood home. thick ###@*§:«,.
¨^-^*¤@@@# pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and #@@@¤*^-^¨
¨..~,~=$¤#      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.              ##§^~~¨¨,¨
,,~†*££##@                                          @##££*†~,,
..~†%§£###                                          ###£§%†~..
.,,,««»\&£                                          £&\»««,,,.
,.,.^;:*#@                                          @#*:;^.,.,
¨,~/$@£¶##                                          ##¶£@$/~,¨
,¨..,.~^%#                                          #%^~.,..¨,