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