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