¨.~~/^@#@#                                          #@#@^/~~.¨
¨-«\$§@@##                                          ##@@§$\«-¨
,,,«*†£@##                                          ##@£†*«,,,
,¨,^«*%@#@                                          @#@%*«^,¨,
,¨¨,^»^†¤#                                          #¤†^»^,¨¨,
,.¨..,-**¤                statuette                 ¤**-,..¨.,
¨,.,¨,.~=*                                          *=~.,¨,.,¨
,¨¨¨,.¨:~* @$£$£%£$%*%£%$%%~-~«=~~~%¤$£££¤§@%%$@@&£ *~:¨.,¨¨¨,
,,,.¨¨¨,.=                 %§¤$£*$£¤                =.,¨¨¨.,,,
¨¨,¨,¨,-~;                                          ;~-,¨,¨,¨¨
¨..,¨¨:«\* forests around my childhood  home. thick *\«:¨¨,..¨
¨¨..¨~~=§£ pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and £§=~~¨..¨¨
.,,.^~†=@¶      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ¶@=†~^.,,.
..¨:=*^&## underneath, sniffing at  the ground.  it ##&^*=:¨..
¨,,~/%@#@# is  dark  and  moist,  the canopy having #@#@%/~,,¨
¨.~*%##### already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. #####%*~.¨
,.--*%&@##                                          ##@&%*--.,
¨.,.~^§£@@ there's a  river passing  by, from  east @@£§^~.,.¨
.,.,,~:†¤@ to west, getting broader and deeper  and @¤†:~,,.,.
¨¨¨¨.^~=^¤ slower as it  goes. equisetum  grow just ¤^=~^.¨¨¨¨
.,.¨.¨^=^* where  the  pine  hands  start   to  let *^=^¨.¨.,.
¨.¨,¨,¨.»; through  light,  horsemint  on the rocky ;».¨,¨,¨.¨
.,,¨,,,..=                river bed.                =..,,,¨,,.
¨¨¨¨¨,¨,«/                                          /«,¨,¨¨¨¨¨
,,,¨.,-«/%                     †                    %/«-,.¨,,,
.¨¨..,=\†&                                          &†\=,..¨¨.
.,,.,»/*¤@ the riverbanks  reek  of  magic. tonight @¤*/»,.,,.
,,¨:~†%&## they  had been a swampworld  with sylvan ##&%†~:¨,,
.¨^»†§£@@# water,  stone rings  and  floating moss. #@@£§†»^¨.
¨:»††@£@## you could've found  me wallowing  around ##@£@††»:¨
,¨.~/$§¶## 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.              #@¶&%:~..,
.,,^«^*###                                          ###*^«^,,.
¨,.,,~:=§@                                          @§=:~,,.,¨
,,,¨.,-^=£                                          £=^-,.¨,,,
,,¨.,.-»**                                          **»-.,.¨,,
¨..¨.,¨,~:                                          :~,¨,.¨..¨
..,..,¨¨.~                                          ~.¨¨,..,..