,:~;*$£@##                                          ##@£$*;~:,
¨,..=/%*†§                                          §†*%/=..,¨
,.¨.¨.:†%#                                          #%†:.¨.¨.,
.,~**£@@@#                                          #@@@£**~,.
.~=†%$&@##                                          ##@&$%†=~.
¨.~/†%&£##                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 #¶¤$$;*=:¨
,~~;†$#£##                my pockets.               ##£#$†;~~,
.~**£#####                                          #####£**~.
,.¨,,,~§†£ then  i   run   east  toward   my  home. £†§~,,,¨.,
¨,¨,..»^%@                                          @%^»..,¨,¨
,~~;$%$£#£                     \                    £#£$%$;~~,
¨..:==£&£&                                          &£&£==:..¨
..«**%@¶@# i am not followed, and slow down in  the #@¶@%**«..
¨¨.~\:$¤%# clearing where  you  at first  can  spot #%¤$:\~.¨¨
..-«-%£@#£ the  house,   not   yet  really  in  the £#@£%-«-..
¨.¨:«=*@$@ backyard. from my pockets i retrieve  my @$@*=«:¨.¨
.-«*$*£¶## radio  (now  dented) but  also  a  small ##¶£*$*«-.
,:~;^$@£## clay figure i've  never seen before.  it ##£@$^;~:,
.--:%$#£## must have  been  laying in the wet dirt, ##£#$%:--.
,,«=%¤££@# and  i  must've  picked  it up  with  my #@££¤%=«,,
.¨.¨.,*%*#            other belongings.             #*%*,.¨.¨.
¨,-==$&#@#                                          #@#&$==-,¨
¨,¨,,^§§¤# it's a statuette of  a girl laying naked #¤§§^,,¨,¨
,,,.~;%££@ on   her  stomach,   feet  in  the  air, @££%;~.,,,
,¨,,,,-*£@   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   @£*-,,,,¨,
.~-†*£¤§¶@ freshly made, not yet  completely dried. @¶§¤£*†-~.
,¨.~/%§£§¤                                          ¤§£§%/~.¨,
¨~=*^&@@## my  mom is here now. i  ask her for some ##@@&^*=~¨
..~;§§¤¶## particle board  for  it to  dry on,  but ##¶¤§§;~..
¨,»^*£&£@# she  is   worried   and   wants  me   to #@£&£*^»,¨
..~^*£#@##              throw it away.              ##@#£*^~..
¨,¨,«=\\££                                          ££\\=«,¨,¨
¨^-\%*&@##                                          ##@&*%\-^¨
,,,¨=%§@¤#                                          #¤@§%=¨,,,
..¨¨,-=§££                                          ££§=-,¨¨..
¨¨,¨¨,~^§#                                          #§^~,¨¨,¨¨
¨^~†$$&###                                          ###&$$†~^¨