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