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