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