,,»†=*†$¤¶                                          ¶¤$†*=†»,,
¨,...~~†$@                                          @$†~~...,¨
,-»\§%#¶##                                          ##¶#%§\»-,
,¨.,,^†&@@                                          @@&†^,,.¨,
,,,»=*†=¤#                                          #¤=†*=»,,,
,,-/=&¤#@#                 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 ¤§§==».,¨¨
.:-;$£@### she   is  worried   and   wants   me  to ###@£$;-:.
¨.,,.~:$§§              throw it away.              §§$:~.,,.¨
,,~\*$@#@#                                          #@#@$*\~,,
.~~\*&§@@#                                          #@@§&*\~~.
.¨.¨,,~*£@                                          @£*~,,¨.¨.
¨--†%§¤#@#                                          #@#¤§%†--¨
¨,,,--§£&@                                          @&£§--,,,¨
,~=†^%#£##                                          ##£#%^†=~,