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