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