,,~^^†^^£¶                                          ¶£^^†^^~,,
.,»*†§§&¤#                                          #¤&§§†*»,.
,:-=*$#@##                                          ##@#$*=-:,
,^,~~*¤§@§                                          §@§¤*~~,^,
,-«/*§¤¶##                                          ##¶¤§*/«-,
..=;†%#¶##                 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 §@¤*%$/«,.
..»\=¤¤### she  is   worried   and   wants  me   to ###¤¤=\»..
,:«/%¤¤@@#              throw it away.              #@@¤¤%/«:,
,¨.~//^%*&                                          &*%^//~.¨,
,,,,:†**¤#                                          #¤**†:,,,,
¨,-††§£@$#                                          #$@£§††-,¨
.~=\=*@@##                                          ##@@*=\=~.
,.¨¨~~=»*§                                          §*»=~~¨¨.,
¨:-††&#@##                                          ##@#&††-:¨