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