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