..~/%§#¶@#                                          #@¶#§%/~..
.:~:††=%¤@                                          @¤%=††:~:.
,¨.,,,¨~*£                                          £*~¨,,,.¨,
,¨¨¨.\$$%@                                          @%$$\.¨¨¨,
¨,~*%%#¶##                                          ##¶#%%*~,¨
.~=\=£@#@#                 statuette                #@#@£=\=~.
¨,«;=££###                                          ###££=;«,¨
.¨¨,~\\*¤@ £%¤$%£*£¤¤$%£§&&«~~~~~~=%£$&£$¤@&@%@*%%% @¤*\\~,¨¨.
,.,:=%†§##                &£$*&¤£*§                 ##§†%=:,.,
,^»†==;*&¤                                          ¤&*;==†»^,
..~»~~=\£& forests around  my childhood home. thick &£\=~~»~..
..»^%%¤#¤& pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and &¤#¤%%^»..
¨~~\$$@###      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ###@$$\~~¨
¨,»\%&&@## 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 ##@£@%/»~,
.:-;$&@#@#              throw it away.              #@#@&$;-:.
,,=:%$&¤@@                                          @@¤&$%:=,,
,-~*%§@&@#                                          #@&@§%*~-,
..~\*@£@#@                                          @#@£@*\~..
,,,¨,^§@¶£                                          £¶@§^,¨,,,
,^=;*¤§@¶#                                          #¶@§¤*;=^,
.--;†*#@@#                                          #@@#*†;--.