..~:*¤§###                                          ###§¤*:~..
,¨:-=^$¤##                                          ##¤$^=-:¨,
,,~\%§####                                          ####§%\~,,
¨,:-;§%#@#                                          #@#%§;-:,¨
¨:»:*%§###                                          ###§%*:»:¨
,,.»;^££##                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 @#§*%^=^.¨
,,»†*$§£@#              throw it away.              #@£§$*†»,,
.¨,=^%$§@@                                          @@§$%^=,¨.
,~-=$$@£##                                          ##£@$$=-~,
,,,~†=*¤£#                                          #£¤*=†~,,,
¨,~††¤¤###                                          ###¤¤††~,¨
¨,:«;=££##                                          ##££=;«:,¨
.,~=§£§@##                                          ##@§£§=~,.