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