.,=*%@$¤##                                          ##¤$@%*=,.
,^-=$*£#@#                                          #@#£*$=-^,
¨-~/^£¤£#@                                          @#£¤£^/~-¨
.,~/$¤£###                                          ###£¤$/~,.
¨..«-==§*£                                          £*§==-«..¨
¨,»*†$§###                statuette                 ###§$†*»,¨
.-«~~»**§@                                          @§**»~~«-.
¨.¨..,^\%£ $§*%%@%£$$¤%%%£*«-«=--~=§%£%$£§&$%@$$$£% £%\^,..¨.¨
¨.¨-;†%#£¤                ¤*@£*$$$$                 ¤£#%†;-¨.¨
¨,~*=*§#¶#                                          #¶#§*=*~,¨
.^=/†§@### forests around my childhood  home. thick ###@§†/=^.
¨.¨~\%§§#£ pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and £#§§%\~¨.¨
¨~»^%%££@#      forgotten. wild boars roaming       #@££%%^»~¨
,¨,:=^:%£# underneath,  sniffing at  the ground. it #£%:^=:,¨,
,.,,.~«=£@ is  dark  and  moist,  the canopy having @£=«~.,,.,
,.,~=«$@¤@ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. @¤@$«=~,.,
.,~*§§§###                                          ###§§§*~,.
.,.,--/*%@ there's a river  passing  by, from  east @%*/--,.,.
,,»†*@¤#@# to west,  getting broader and deeper and #@#¤@*†»,,
,,=**¤@#@# slower as  it  goes. equisetum grow just #@#@¤**=,,
,.-*%%¤@## where  the  pine  hands   start  to  let ##@¤%%*-.,
..,...«%*§ through  light,  horsemint  on the rocky §*%«...,..
.-==%&§#@#                river bed.                #@#§&%==-.
¨«/^*§¶###                                          ###¶§*^/«¨
.,~=†%@#@#                     *                    #@#@%†=~,.
,^~=%£§###                                          ###§£%=~^,
,^«*^§&### the  riverbanks  reek of magic.  tonight ###&§^*«^,
,-~^†%%££@ they had been a  swampworld  with sylvan @££%%†^~-,
,-~=*§&### water, stone rings  and  floating  moss. ###&§*=~-,
,-«†%£§@@# you could've found me  wallowing  around #@@§£%†«-,
,-»\$$£@## on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got ##@£$$\»-,
¨¨,¨.,.^¤£                 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 ¤£§=-~,,¨¨
¨,-\%$§£@#              throw it away.              #@£§$%\-,¨
,,«/%%§###                                          ###§%%/«,,
.~»*%%%@@£                                          £@@%%%*»~.
.,-†*$£@##                                          ##@£$*†-,.
¨,»\=&§£@#                                          #@£§&=\»,¨
.¨,.,†$§@£                                          £@§$†,.,¨.
.,¨,¨-~-†@                                          @†-~-¨,¨,.