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