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