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