¨~-††§#&&#                                          #&&#§††-~¨
,~«*=$£#@#                                          #@#£$=*«~,
.,«*^§@@@#                                          #@@@§^*«,.
.,,^†=§*¤¤                                          ¤¤*§=†^,,.
.^«*%&##¤@                                          @¤##&%*«^.
¨,¨,.-:@$#                statuette                 #$@:-.,¨,¨
¨.¨.^/†^&#                                          #&^†/^.¨.¨
¨^~=%*¤££# ¤£§£¤£%££@&@$&§*«=~=«-~«£%%¤$£**@@%§@§%$ #££¤*%=~^¨
.,..»/:*&§                 &%$&£&$$$                §&*:/»..,.
¨~~/††^^@#                                          #@^^††/~~¨
,-«:**&@£# 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 &£^:~,,.¨,
,,»:*$#£## she   is   worried  and   wants   me  to ##£#$*:»,,
.,«;$§#£##              throw it away.              ##£#§$;«,.
,:-/=%¶###                                          ###¶%=/-:,
..=*§$¤#@#                                          #@#¤$§*=..
,,~=**¤###                                          ###¤**=~,,
¨.,:^^;*&#                                          #&*;^^:,.¨
¨,~†*@§@##                                          ##@§@*†~,¨
...¨.¨.:%@                                          @%:.¨.¨...