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