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