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