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