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