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