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