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