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