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