,^=\%&#@##                                          ##@#&%\=^,
,,-~:^%###                                          ###%^:~-,,
¨,¨:»:^*£#                                          #£*^:»:¨,¨
¨.,.,~***@                                          @***~,.,.¨
..,--=§££#                                          #££§=--,..
,¨,»=^%£##                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 #¶&=^»-,.,
¨.-=\*$### she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to ###$*\=-.¨
..~\=$#@##              throw it away.              ##@#$=\~..
,.,«\§£###                                          ###£§\«,.,
,..~==%$¶@                                          @¶$%==~..,
.¨,,:-=%$#                                          #$%=-:,,¨.
.¨¨~«†*§£#                                          #£§*†«~¨¨.
¨.,-^§$#@#                                          #@#$§^-,.¨
.--;%$####                                          ####$%;--.