¨,~:$$#@##                                          ##@#$$:~,¨
.¨.-/$*§@#                                          #@§*$/-.¨.
¨,¨,~\%*@#                                          #@*%\~,¨,¨
.,,=;*$@@#                                          #@@$*;=,,.
,.«*$@£@##                                          ##@£@$*«.,
¨¨,«^$@£##                statuette                 ##£@$^«,¨¨
...^-^$$##                                          ##$$^-^...
,,,«††$&## ¤%$%£@&£$@£%¤*$¤~«-~-««~%&$@¤$@*$$@%£&%% ##&$††«,,,
,:«†%£§###                 @$£%£*$@£                ###§£%†«:,
.,~=:%@¤##                                          ##¤@%:=~,.
,.¨~«/*£## forests around my childhood  home. thick ##£*/«~¨.,
¨¨:»:*$£@# pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and #@£$*:»:¨¨
.~~;^¤@###       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ###@¤^;~~.
¨.,-^†££## underneath, sniffing  at the ground.  it ##££†^-,.¨
¨¨.--=$¤## is  dark  and moist, the  canopy  having ##¤$=--.¨¨
.¨,«;†$### already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ###$†;«,¨.
.-»*%£§@##                                          ##@§£%*»-.
.¨--††%§## there's  a  river passing by,  from east ##§%††--¨.
...^«:$$¤@ 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.              ###£§%;~,¨
¨.,~*=£¤##                                          ##¤£=*~,.¨
¨¨,~»:†££@                                          @££†:»~,¨¨
,.:-/%¤###                                          ###¤%/-:.,
,^«=†¤¤###                                          ###¤¤†=«^,
¨.~«\*§&##                                          ##&§*\«~.¨
..,,~:=@&#                                          #&@=:~,,..