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