¨~-*§@£###                                          ###£@§*-~¨
¨,~/§&§£##                                          ##£§&§/~,¨
.¨...-$^¤@                                          @¤^$-...¨.
¨¨¨.,-/%*¤                                          ¤*%/-,.¨¨¨
,,¨,¨.,=%&                                          &%=,.¨,¨,,
,~-††$@###                 statuette                ###@$††-~,
,^«:£@####                                          ####@£:«^,
¨-~:§*§%¤# $%*%§¤¤%£§$§£@£*=~«~==»«££§$*£%%$@*££$$% #¤%§*§:~-¨
,:-*%§&¶@#                $£¤$&%%$%                 #@¶&§%*-:,
¨^«^^£@@@#                                          #@@@£^^«^¨
,:»;*¤£@## forests  around my childhood home. thick ##@£¤*;»:,
¨-~;†§&### pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and ###&§†;~-¨
.¨,.¨-\=§¤      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ¤§=\-¨.,¨.
,,»;=%@¶££ underneath, sniffing  at  the ground. it ££¶@%=;»,,
,^=/%£@### is  dark  and moist,  the  canopy having ###@£%/=^,
,,,.,=$¤#@ 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.              #*%†=-,¨,.
.-~\%¤¤###                                          ###¤¤%\~-.
,,=:**§###                                          ###§**:=,,
,,-=$£¤¶##                                          ##¶¤£$=-,,
.¨,¨-=/@£#                                          #£@/=-¨,¨.
,:»\^%§@##                                          ##@§%^\»:,
¨,-\^†**§§                                          §§**†^\-,¨