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