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