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