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