.^~:%&§£@#                                          #@£§&%:~^.
.:~/=¤£###                                          ###£¤=/~:.
.,-;%$§£##                                          ##£§$%;-,.
.^»/†%¤###                                          ###¤%†/»^.
,,...=/†@#                                          #@†/=...,,
¨,,.~~~^&@                 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. ##@££$\~,.
¨,,¨»«^£&&                                          &&£^«»¨,,¨
,.~\*%@¶@# my mom is here now. i  ask  her for some #@¶@%*\~.,
¨^«\†*§@## particle  board for  it to dry  on,  but ##@§*†\«^¨
.,¨..:^£¶# she   is  worried   and   wants  me   to #¶£^:..¨,.
¨.,^-†\$§£              throw it away.              £§$\†-^,.¨
.--;:†@&§#                                          #§&@†:;--.
¨,.¨,«%*@@                                          @@*%«,¨.,¨
¨¨¨.,^§$¤@                                          @¤$§^,.¨¨¨
,.~:*§§¤@@                                          @@¤§§*:~.,
,,-†%$¤@##                                          ##@¤$%†-,,
,:~**&@###                                          ###@&**~:,