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