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