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