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