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