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