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