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