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