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