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