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