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