¨:~/*$£@##                                          ##@£$*/~:¨
,.-»;=*@##                                          ##@*=;»-.,
,¨,,~:%$@#                                          #@$%:~,,¨,
¨.¨,,-†§*¶                                          ¶*§†-,,¨.¨
,¨.~=;§@¶#                                          #¶@§;=~.¨,
,¨:»\^$¶@#                statuette                 #@¶$^\»:¨,
,:~;*$£###                                          ###£$*;~:,
.,,=†$£@## $%@@@§*§££$%@£%£-»-~-==~$**£$%¤¤&£&&$%%£ ##@£$†=,,.
¨.¨~=\=@¶#                 %$%*¤£§¤$                #¶@=\=~¨.¨
¨.¨..~*†%@                                          @%†*~..¨.¨
,..^»:*$@# forests around  my childhood home. thick #@$*:»^..,
.¨:=:^$@## pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and ##@$^:=:¨.
,:»;†*¶###      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 #@¶£^;=.,,
,-=†$*####              throw it away.              ####*$†=-,
¨..~;§@###                                          ###@§;~..¨
.¨,,-*$§@#                                          #@§$*-,,¨.
,,..:==†$#                                          #$†==:..,,
,.,,»/=&@#                                          #@&=/»,,.,
.,~~†^$###                                          ###$^†~~,.
.~~^^£¶###                                          ###¶£^^~~.