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