,.«=*§¤#@#                                          #@#¤§*=«.,
,,...^/*§#                                          #§*/^...,,
.:»*&¤@###                                          ###@¤&*»:.
..¨..=»*%¤                                          ¤%*»=..¨..
,¨,,=*†££&                                          &££†*=,,¨,
..«†%¤£@¶£                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 @#¶£$*=~,¨
¨,=†=%££@# on   her   stomach,  feet  in  the  air, #@££%=†=,¨
,,»\§%@###   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ###@%§\»,,
,-«:*&¶### freshly made, not  yet completely dried. ###¶&*:«-,
,:~†*%##@#                                          #@##%*†~:,
..,:~=§&#£ my  mom is here now. i  ask her for some £#&§=~:,..
.¨.,^,~§¤# particle  board  for it to dry  on,  but #¤§~,^,.¨.
,.-*§%&#@# she   is   worried   and  wants   me  to #@#&%§*-.,
.~-//*%##@              throw it away.              @##%*//-~.
¨,..~†$&@@                                          @@&$†~..,¨
.,~\†#£@##                                          ##@£#†\~,.
..~;*%&###                                          ###&%*;~..
,^-^%§@¤¶@                                          @¶¤@§%^-^,
..,¨,:.~=¤                                          ¤=~.:,¨,..
,~=/=†%@@#                                          #@@%†=/=~,