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