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