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