.,.:«*=&@@                                          @@&=*«:.,.
,,^~:*@###                                          ###@*:~^,,
,,==%§@@##                                          ##@@§%==,,
,.:=**&@##                                          ##@&**=:.,
,,¨.»/^¤@@                                          @@¤^/».¨,,
¨,,..«**¤#                 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 $^--¨¨,¨,.
,,,.,¨.^»/            other belongings.             /»^.¨,.,,,
,.¨.¨,¨,:~                                          ~:,¨,¨.¨.,
,,¨,¨,,.,, it's  a statuette of a girl laying naked ,,.,,¨,¨,,
¨...¨,.¨,. on  her   stomach,  feet  in  the   air, .,¨.,¨...¨
.¨.,,¨¨.¨:   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   :¨.¨¨,,.¨.
¨,¨.¨¨..,~ freshly made, not  yet completely dried. ~,..¨¨.¨,¨
,.¨,¨¨,~~^                                          ^~~,¨¨,¨.,
.,,.¨,.»†† my mom is  here now. i ask her  for some ††».,¨.,,.
,.¨...«*^£ particle board  for it to  dry  on,  but £^*«...¨.,
¨...^»=%@@ she   is   worried   and  wants   me  to @@%=»^...¨
...-~;=£¶@              throw it away.              @¶£=;~-...
¨¨^=*†£¶##                                          ##¶£†*=^¨¨
¨~»;$#@@##                                          ##@@#$;»~¨
,.-==^#@@#                                          #@@#^==-.,
,,¨^«*$¤£@                                          @£¤$*«^¨,,
,¨.¨~-**§@                                          @§**-~¨.¨,
¨¨¨,.^~†%&                                          &%†~^.,¨¨¨