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