,^~=^%§@@@                                          @@@§%^=~^,
.,,,.^/;$@                                          @$;/^.,,,.
¨¨¨¨«=**$&                                          &$**=«¨¨¨¨
¨,~^$£¤¶##                                          ##¶¤£$^~,¨
,:»;=@#£@#                                          #@£#@=;»:,
.,.~-^$$£#                 statuette                #£$$^-~.,.
.¨¨¨»»=£¤#                                          #¤£=»»¨¨¨.
,:»†$£¤### %%@¤%%§*$&@£$@£&=«~«=-~-££¤£*§@£*£$¤*&@$ ###¤£$†»:,
,:=*=¤£@£&                $&§£*%%%£                 &£@£¤=*=:,
,-~=§@§###                                          ###§@§=~-,
.¨,.¨.,»*£ forests around  my childhood home. thick £*»,.¨.,¨.
¨,~*$%&@#@ 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.              @%&¤=».,¨¨
¨..~-.«=§£                                          £§=«.-~..¨
,...»*=@$#                                          #$@=*»...,
¨,«^§%@@##                                          ##@@%§^«,¨
¨~~;%%£#@£                                          £@#£%%;~~¨
,,-^†£§¶##                                          ##¶§£†^-,,
¨~»†%¤¤§@@                                          @@§¤¤%†»~¨