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