¨¨¨¨:«=$£#                                          #£$=«:¨¨¨¨
¨.,¨,,~%@@                                          @@%~,,¨,.¨
,,=:%@@@##                                          ##@@@%:=,,
.,=\*$#@##                                          ##@#$*\=,.
¨,=\=%@#¶@                                          @¶#@%=\=,¨
..«\§$#@@#                statuette                 #@@#$§\«..
,»/%%£####                                          ####£%%/»,
.,.¨¨¨~$£@ §£$£¤*%%¤¤§&&%%¤»«==»~-~%%$££§¤@$$@$%$£& @£$~¨¨¨.,.
¨:-:§*§@##                ¤%¤**&§@$                 ##@§*§:-:¨
,,,..-^*=#                                          #=*^-..,,,
¨.¨,..:&§@ forests around my childhood  home. thick @§&:..,¨.¨
.^»†=$@@#£ pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and £#@@$=†»^.
.^-^=†%¤£¤      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ¤£¤%†=^-^.
¨.==*%£#@# underneath, sniffing at  the  ground. it #@#£%*==.¨
.^~;**£¶## is  dark  and moist,  the canopy  having ##¶£**;~^.
¨.,.,~-%%¶ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¶%%-~,.,.¨
.:~~†*=†&#                                          #&†=*†~~:.
,.=†§%&¶@# there's  a river passing  by,  from east #@¶&%§†=.,
¨^-†§&#§## to west, getting broader and deeper  and ##§#&§†-^¨
,,-/%$¤@@£ slower  as  it goes. equisetum grow just £@@¤$%/-,,
,~»^%%£#@# where  the  pine  hands   start  to  let #@#£%%^»~,
,,,¨,.=†£# through  light, horsemint  on  the rocky #£†=.,¨,,,
,..,,-«:*&                river bed.                &*:«-,,..,
¨^»/†%¤###                                          ###¤%†/»^¨
¨,~~~\£§@@                     /                    @@§£\~~~,¨
,¨¨,...~§#                                          #§~...,¨¨,
¨:~^§£@### the  riverbanks reek  of  magic. tonight ###@£§^~:¨
¨-»==¤¤### they  had been a  swampworld with sylvan ###¤¤==»-¨
,:«;$†§£&£ water,  stone rings  and floating  moss. £&£§†$;«:,
,:~:$$¤@## 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.              £*=-,,,,,.
,^»\%%@###                                          ###@%%\»^,
,,.--^%##¶                                          ¶##%^--.,,
¨~~^=£¤£##                                          ##£¤£=^~~¨
,.~;%$@@@#                                          #@@@$%;~.,
,^~/%¤&@##                                          ##@&¤%/~^,
¨,«^*£§#¤@                                          @¤#§£*^«,¨