¨:«\^§¤¶##                                          ##¶¤§^\«:¨
¨.^~/†&@¶#                                          #¶@&†/~^.¨
,~=*§%&###                                          ###&%§*=~,
¨,,»^†%###                                          ###%†^»,,¨
,,~:%*#@##                                          ##@#*%:~,,
,¨^»^^¤¤##                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 ##¶@$=;»-,
¨¨-«:§@&@# she   is  worried  and   wants   me   to #@&@§:«-¨¨
.:~;§£§@##              throw it away.              ##@§£§;~:.
¨¨^~=§$@@#                                          #@@$§=~^¨¨
,~~*%£@@##                                          ##@@£%*~~,
¨,-»^†@#@#                                          #@#@†^»-,¨
¨,«=†¤£@##                                          ##@£¤†=«,¨
,¨:»*^%§¶#                                          #¶§%^*»:¨,
¨,=/*$§###                                          ###§$*/=,¨