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