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