¨~»†§¤&£##                                          ##£&¤§†»~¨
,.^»\*¤¤@#                                          #@¤¤*\»^.,
,...-^$¤&£                                          £&¤$^-...,
..~«=$@§@#                                          #@§@$=«~..
.,-*§%¤@##                                          ##@¤%§*-,.
.,:~;**¤¶#                 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.             @§@$^~~.¨¨
..^~^**#@#                                          #@#**^~^..
¨^~/%%&### it's a statuette  of a girl laying naked ###&%%/~^¨
¨,~~/*£¤¶# on  her  stomach,   feet  in   the  air, #¶¤£*/~~,¨
,¨¨.-^*§@@   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   @@§*^-.¨¨,
..^«/%@§## freshly made,  not yet completely dried. ##§@%/«^..
,,»:*@@£##                                          ##£@@*:»,,
.¨,~:^*§## my mom is here now.  i  ask her for some ##§*^:~,¨.
.,,^~*=%£¶ particle  board for  it  to dry on,  but ¶£%=*~^,,.
.,^~=%£#@# she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to #@#£%=~^,.
.^-\†¤@@##              throw it away.              ##@@¤†\-^.
,.,«=†$&##                                          ##&$†=«,.,
.,,,«/$¤§@                                          @§¤$/«,,,.
.,~~=%£###                                          ###£%=~~,.
¨--*%££@##                                          ##@££%*--¨
¨,^=:%@&@#                                          #@&@%:=^,¨
,¨.-«\§%@#                                          #@%§\«-.¨,