¨..¨,-:†@#                                          #@†:-,¨..¨
.,-\=£§£@#                                          #@£§£=\-,.
,:~**$&£##                                          ##£&$**~:,
.,,^*†††§£                                          £§†††*^,,.
...,.=$%¤@                                          @¤%$=.,...
.^«=$£####                 statuette                ####£$=«^.
.~~=†$#§#@                                          @#§#$†=~~.
.^«:%¤&#@# ££*$£%$£$%%%§£&¤=-=»«»-»§%£@££@%$£¤&£&&$ #@#&¤%:«^.
.-=:$%&&##                 $@&$§£¤*%                ##&&%$:=-.
.¨¨.,,\†&£                                          £&†\,,.¨¨.
,--†*¤#@@¶ forests around my  childhood home. thick ¶@@#¤*†--,
,,~;=¤£@@# pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and #@@£¤=;~,,
¨~-:%$%&¶@       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.              ##@*†.¨¨¨.
.,«^%&¤@@@                                          @@@¤&%^«,.
¨~,^««*¤§#                                          #§¤*««^,~¨
¨,=;*£&@##                                          ##@&£*;=,¨
,,=;†=†§#@                                          @#§†=†;=,,
.¨...»»$$§                                          §$$»»...¨.
.,.,-\$#£@                                          @£#$\-,.,.