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