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