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