.,~†^£#@@#                                          #@@#£^†~,.
¨.,-»;$%@§                                          §@%$;»-,.¨
.^=^%£@###                                          ###@£%^=^.
,,»†§&#£#@                                          @#£#&§†»,,
¨¨,,¨,«:%£                                          £%:«,¨,,¨¨
,--;%$$#£#                statuette                 #£#$$%;--,
¨¨,,¨~**¤£                                          £¤**~¨,,¨¨
.-~**§§¶## %§£%@&%&£$@*@&%@--~«=»«-%@¤*£¤£*$%@£¤££% ##¶§§**~-.
.~~~/*$@#@                 *%$&@*%&%                @#@$*/~~~.
¨.~/*%£#@#                                          #@#£%*/~.¨
¨....::¤£# forests around my childhood  home. thick #£¤::....¨
¨:-:$££¶## 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.              ###£%§;~,.
¨,^~,,;^%¤                                          ¤%^;,,~^,¨
¨^==§$§¶@#                                          #@¶§$§==^¨
,,--;/*££#                                          #££*/;--,,
¨:-†$%§$##                                          ##$§%$†-:¨
.,,,~\†&#&                                          &#&†\~,,,.
¨^~:*@@###                                          ###@@*:~^¨