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