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