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