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