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