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