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