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