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