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