¨^«†%§@###                                          ###@§%†«^¨
¨.,-^*¤@@#                                          #@@¤*^-,.¨
.¨,.»^=@£@                                          @£@=^».,¨.
,¨:»:§§@##                                          ##@§§:»:¨,
,,=\^§¶###                                          ###¶§^\=,,
,,.-^$$###                statuette                 ###$$^-.,,
.,,--;§§@#                                          #@§§;--,,.
¨,~»/*§@## *@£¤%¤$%%%%§§¤$&~«»=««»~%%¤£$%$&§@££¤@&% ##@§*/»~,¨
.~«**§####                 $§&&*£¤¤§                ####§**«~.
,,.~:$£###                                          ###£$:~.,,
...-=*§££@ forests around my childhood home.  thick @££§*=-...
¨¨.«;§£¶## pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and ##¶£§;«.¨¨
¨,~\=§¶###      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ###¶§=\~,¨
¨,,»\^*@## underneath, sniffing at  the ground.  it ##@*^\»,,¨
¨,¨-»;$¤@# 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 ##£¤$†~^¨,
.:~:^@@@##              throw it away.              ##@@@^:~:.
..:~†%$£@#                                          #@£$%†~:..
¨..:~†*§£#                                          #£§*†~:..¨
..:~\*$@@#                                          #@@$*\~:..
,.=^†&¶###                                          ###¶&†^=.,
¨.:-/=%@@#                                          #@@%=/-:.¨
¨.¨.«=†¤#@                                          @#¤†=«.¨.¨