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