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