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