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