¨^~\=@£###                                          ###£@=\~^¨
,¨:»*$*@@#                                          #@@*$*»:¨,
¨.¨.~:%$#@                                          @#$%:~.¨.¨
.¨.,-=\†¤¶                                          ¶¤†\=-,.¨.
,..-~^**##                                          ##**^~-..,
.,:=:*%¶@#                 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, ##¶@$\~,,¨
.,-==*@###   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ###@*==-,.
¨.,~=%%£## freshly made, not yet  completely dried. ##£%%=~,.¨
...^~\§£@#                                          #@£§\~^...
,¨,.,~/=*¶ my mom is here now. i  ask  her for some ¶*=/~,.,¨,
,..,~/=%@@ particle  board  for it to dry  on,  but @@%=/~,..,
¨¨,-=§%£## she   is  worried   and  wants   me   to ##£%§=-,¨¨
.^~;%&####              throw it away.              ####&%;~^.
¨¨,=^*§@@#                                          #@@§*^=,¨¨
.¨.,~\=£@@                                          @@£=\~,.¨.
,..,~~*%$#                                          #$%*~~,..,
¨.,-~=*%##                                          ##%*=~-,.¨
,.,«=$£@##                                          ##@£$=«,.,
¨~«*^&@@##                                          ##@@&^*«~¨