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