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