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