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