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