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