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