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