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