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