¨-=\**&¶£@                                          @£¶&**\=-¨
¨-~==%#¶##                                          ##¶#%==~-¨
,,-^**#@##                                          ##@#**^-,,
.,.,,,-\@¶                                          ¶@\-,,,.,.
,-^:»\$£%¶                                          ¶%£$\»:^-,
,-~^;=*%§&                 statuette                &§%*=;^~-,
,--††%@###                                          ###@%††--,
.,»/%%&#@@ ¤%£££$£§§%@%&%£§»~-»=~~»$%$$££§*¤%**¤$§% @@#&%%/»,.
.¨¨^,*:=££                 £%%$&£$%&                ££=:*,^¨¨.
¨--;%§¶###                                          ###¶§%;--¨
,.~/%§&£@# forests around my childhood home.  thick #@£&§%/~.,
¨¨,.¨~=^¤# pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and #¤^=~¨.,¨¨
.~«†§££###      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ###££§†«~.
,^«^*$¤&@# underneath,  sniffing  at the ground. it #@&¤$*^«^,
..-=*@@@## is  dark and  moist,  the  canopy having ##@@@*=-..
..,.,\§$£@ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. @£$§\,.,..
..=:=@&%£#                                          #£%&@=:=..
.~~†*§@### there's a river passing  by,  from  east ###@§*†~~.
,,,.,*^\$# to west, getting broader  and deeper and #$\^*,.,,,
,,.,,=^#@@ slower as  it  goes. equisetum grow just @@#^=,,.,,
,~-=$@@@## where  the  pine  hands  start  to   let ##@@@$=-~,
¨,=†*¤@@## through  light,  horsemint on the  rocky ##@@¤*†=,¨
..~/§££###                river bed.                ###££§/~..
..,,,¨~†§£                                          £§†~¨,,,..
,^»;†^&§££                     ;                    ££§&^†;»^,
,.=\*%&¶@#                                          #@¶&%*\=.,
¨-=/**#### the riverbanks  reek of  magic.  tonight ####**/=-¨
.~«^*§&¶## they had  been a swampworld  with sylvan ##¶&§*^«~.
,.,.=«-§*@ water, stone rings  and  floating  moss. @*§-«=.,.,
¨.,¨-%%$&@ you  could've found me wallowing  around @&$%%-¨,.¨
,,=^*%§@@# on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got #@@§%*^=,,
.^~«-*$*¤&                  bitten.                 &¤*$*-«~^.
,,.,..~:*§                                          §*:~..,.,,
,¨,.\\*§## but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid ##§*\\.,¨,
.~-:*£#£#@ ground, in shoulder-high  grass, with an @#£#£*:-~.
.^-»==:@£¶ orange   tin  radio  and  a  translucent ¶£@:==»-^.
,.¨,^:$$@@      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 ##@£@%;~^.
,.¨¨,¨~§$@              throw it away.              @$§~¨,¨¨.,
,¨..=~^†=£                                          £=†^~=..¨,
.^=†*%@¶##                                          ##¶@%*†=^.
.-~;=¤£@##                                          ##@£¤=;~-.
...,~*¤¤#§                                          §#¤¤*~,...
¨.~^*§¶@##                                          ##@¶§*^~.¨
.¨¨.¨¨»=*&                                          &*=»¨¨.¨¨.