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