.:~:§£#@##                                          ##@#£§:~:.
¨^~*=§¤£##                                          ##£¤§=*~^¨
.,-^*£@¶@#                                          #@¶@£*^-,.
.--;%@§###                                          ###§@%;--.
..~**&####                                          ####&**~..
¨:~^$%£@##                 statuette                ##@£%$^~:¨
,:=†**¤###                                          ###¤**†=:,
,.~†$%&¤#¤ %$$£%%$%*$§%£**%=«-~=--«*$££%@£&£§¤$¤*%* ¤#¤&%$†~.,
,^~:%§£###                $@$*§&¤%$                 ###£§%:~^,
^=/†$§#@##                                          ##@#§$†/=^
.,,¨,,~=*£ forests around my  childhood home. thick £*=~,,¨,,.
.^-^%¤§@@@ pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and @@@§¤%^-^.
.,~*$$§##@      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.              @§*=.,¨.¨¨
¨:~:*£§#@#                                          #@#§£*:~:¨
¨,~;^¤@£##                                          ##£@¤^;~,¨
...¨,~,;£@                                          @£;,~,¨...
¨^=^*§¤#@#                                          #@#¤§*^=^¨
¨,~\=%&@@#                                          #@@&%=\~,¨
,,,,.~-†§@                                          @§†-~.,,,,