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