,^=^*§@@##                                          ##@@§*^=^,
,~«^*£#£##                                          ##£#£*^«~,
.,.,.^,;*#                                          #*;,^.,.,.
.~»††¤&¶##                                          ##¶&¤††»~.
,,¨.^**%^@                                          @^%**^.¨,,
,.-^%$§###                 statuette                ###§$%^-.,
....-^&¤&£                                          £&¤&^-....
.:=/%@#@## ¤$&&§%$$*¤&§£$*$=~~=-»~-$&$£%$*£*@@§@&£§ ##@#@%/=:.
.~~^^$@@##                 §$%%£££%$                ##@@$^^~~.
,-»**@¤###                                          ###¤@**»-,
.:=†^¤£@#@ forests around my  childhood home. thick @#@£¤^†=:.
¨~=††*$@¶@ pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and @¶@$*††=~¨
,:-;%¤@¶##       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ##¶@¤%;-:,
¨.~^%§##@# underneath,  sniffing at the ground.  it #@##§%^~.¨
,-=\^¤&¶## is  dark  and moist,  the canopy  having ##¶&¤^\=-,
,.-^§*#¶## already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ##¶#*§^-.,
,.-«~:$$@#                                          #@$$:~«-.,
,.«**££@## 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 ¤&%»..,,.,
.-«\=%*$£@ she   is  worried   and   wants  me   to @£$*%=\«-.
,^«†*$%£¤#              throw it away.              #¤£%$*†«^,
.,=†%%&¶##                                          ##¶&%%†=,.
¨.»^/=$%§#                                          #§%$=/^».¨
¨,~†§%§@#@                                          @#@§%§†~,¨
.,»/%£@£#@                                          @#£@£%/»,.
¨~»«:$†*£@                                          @£*†$:«»~¨
.~~/§&£@##                                          ##@£&§/~~.