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