.^~\%*£###                                          ###£*%\~^.
,:«;=%¤£##                                          ##£¤%=;«:,
..,=~%*&§#                                          #§&*%~=,..
¨,~:†¤$@£#                                          #£@$¤†:~,¨
~-\*$#¶###                                          ###¶#$*\-~
,-~*§£§££#                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 ##@¶§¤$\~,
,,.,^,=%@# particle board for it  to  dry  on,  but #@%=,^,.,,
,^-*=*¤£@@ she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to @@£¤*=*-^,
.,«\†%§¶@#              throw it away.              #@¶§%†\«,.
¨:«^^¤@###                                          ###@¤^^«:¨
,,¨-~~§£@#                                          #@£§~~-¨,,
¨¨.¨¨¨~^£#                                          #£^~¨¨¨.¨¨
,~~/^§@###                                          ###@§^/~~,
,:~=%$§§£@                                          @£§§$%=~:,
¨.~==%§#@@                                          @@#§%==~.¨