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