¨.=\=§@£##                                          ##£@§=\=.¨
.,~»*$$££#                                          #££$$*»~,.
,-~*†@§@##                                          ##@§@†*~-,
.¨.«*%£&£#                                          #£&£%*«.¨.
.^-*$¤@###                                          ###@¤$*-^.
,,--/†£@##                 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 ##£#$%^«.¨
¨¨,~^†¤¤@# backyard. from my pockets i  retrieve my #@¤¤†^~,¨¨
..~^%¤@@## radio  (now dented)  but  also  a  small ##@@¤%^~..
.¨--†*£££# clay figure  i've never seen before.  it #£££*†--¨.
.-~;*@&@## must  have been laying in the wet  dirt, ##@&@*;~-.
,,.»*§£¤## and  i  must've  picked it  up  with  my ##¤£§*».,,
.:=^*&¤###             other belongings.            ###¤&*^=:.
¨,.-\%@#¶#                                          #¶#@%\-.,¨
,~~\%¤¤### it's a statuette of a girl  laying naked ###¤¤%\~~,
¨¨-»*=*&## on   her  stomach,   feet  in  the  air, ##&*=*»-¨¨
¨-«/*%£###   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ###£%*/«-¨
,,~-=%£££# freshly made, not yet  completely dried. #£££%=-~,,
¨^-=*&@¶##                                          ##¶@&*=-^¨
¨,.-\^¤¤@# my mom is here  now.  i ask her for some #@¤¤^\-.,¨
,,=**¤£### particle  board  for it to  dry on,  but ###£¤**=,,
..,«\**§## she   is  worried  and   wants   me   to ##§**\«,..
,,-†§££¶##              throw it away.              ##¶££§†-,,
.¨-~;=§£@#                                          #@£§=;~-¨.
.~~:=§&@##                                          ##@&§=:~~.
¨.,~*=¤&¶#                                          #¶&¤=*~,.¨
,^=/^%¤¶##                                          ##¶¤%^/=^,
.¨,-/$¤¤##                                          ##¤¤$/-,¨.
,,-/†@§###                                          ###§@†/-,,