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