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