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