.^~=%¤§£#@                                          @#£§¤%=~^.
¨.~/*¤¤@@@                                          @@@¤¤*/~.¨
¨^»^%££¶##                                          ##¶££%^»^¨
.,~††$¤@##                                          ##@¤$††~,.
¨..~=*$¤£#                                          #£¤$*=~..¨
.--†=*%^&#                 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 ¶#%^;-^.¨¨
,,..,:»:$£ particle  board  for it  to dry on,  but £$:»:,..,,
.:-†$¤£### she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to ###£¤$†-:.
.:~:%$§£##              throw it away.              ##£§$%:~:.
,,==^*§@##                                          ##@§*^==,,
¨.~/$¤&@##                                          ##@&¤$/~.¨
,:=;$£$§§@                                          @§§$£$;=:,
¨..~*/†££#                                          #££†/*~..¨
,~«;=¤@*§&                                          &§*@¤=;«~,
,-«/%§####                                          ####§%/«-,