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