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