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