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