¨--/†@@@##                                          ##@@@†/--¨
.¨-~==%@@#                                          #@@%==~-¨.
,¨..-^*§£#                                          #£§*^-..¨,
,..,,~^%@#                                          #@%^~,,..,
¨..,.,«;%§                                          §%;«,.,..¨
¨,..,.,~^%                 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.              ^,,,.,.¨,¨
.,.....,-=                                          =-,.....,.
,,,,.,¨,-*                                          *-,¨,.,,,,
,..,..~=\^                                          ^\=~..,..,
¨¨¨..,-*§$                                          $§*-,..¨¨¨
¨.,.^«\†£@                                          @£†\«^.,.¨
..¨,-\*¤##                                          ##¤*\-,¨..