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