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