¨,«:=&£@##                                          ##@£&=:«,¨
,,=^%§@¶##                                          ##¶@§%^=,,
.,¨=†\$§¶@                                          @¶§$\†=¨,.
¨,«†=££@@#                                          #@@££=†«,¨
.,~\*£§£#@                                          @#£§£*\~,.
¨,~†;†£¤£&                 statuette                &£¤£†;†~,¨
,,.¨¨«^*$@                                          @$*^«¨¨.,,
¨~-^†§§### *££%&**$£%¤¤$@%$~»~«~=~=§£%$%$$£&¤@&*§§£ ###§§†^-~¨
.,»*†£§#@#                 §%@££§$@£                #@#§£†*»,.
.,¨,~=;%§#                                          #§%;=~,¨,.
.-:%££@### forests around my childhood home.  thick ###@££%:-.
¨,~\*@#### pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and ####@*\~,¨
..¨.=~~%§&       forgotten. wild boars roaming      &§%~~=.¨..
¨.-†%&&@#@ underneath,  sniffing at  the ground. it @#@&&%†-.¨
,.~/$$¤### 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.              ££¶££%;»^.
¨.-:*&@###                                          ###@&*:-.¨
¨,..^\%£@#                                          #@£%\^..,¨
..~:^¤§@##                                          ##@§¤^:~..
.,~†%&@@##                                          ##@@&%†~,.
,:~==¤$¤@@                                          @@¤$¤==~:,
,,=^*@@§##                                          ##§@@*^=,,