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