¨:»††¤£@##                                          ##@£¤††»:¨
,¨,=^%%£@@                                          @@£%%^=,¨,
.~-/%§@###                                          ###@§%/-~.
,¨^=†^£#£#                                          #£#£^†=^¨,
.,»†§&#@##                                          ##@#&§†»,.
.¨~~/%$@@#                 statuette                #@@$%/~~¨.
¨,~\*£§¶##                                          ##¶§£*\~,¨
.,,«=†$¤@# ££$£¤$£*£§%&$&&¤»=-=~~~~*§§£%**%§@@§%**¤ #@¤$†=«,,.
,,===%@¶##                 %£%$$%%§¤                ##¶@%===,,
¨¨^«*^%#¶@                                          @¶#%^*«^¨¨
,~~^†£¤¶@# forests around my childhood home.  thick #@¶¤£†^~~,
,.:«*$$¤## 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   #@£§&$;~~.
..,-;%££## freshly made, not  yet completely dried. ##££%;-,..
..«;*¤¤###                                          ###¤¤*;«..
.¨.-;§*£#@ my mom is here now. i ask  her  for some @#£*§;-.¨.
,~~:†£@### particle board  for  it to  dry on,  but ###@£†:~~,
¨¨~=/*¤§@# she   is   worried  and   wants   me  to #@§¤*/=~¨¨
¨~»=%£@£##              throw it away.              ##£@£%=»~¨
¨¨,-†=%¤@#                                          #@¤%=†-,¨¨
¨~-=%$#¶##                                          ##¶#$%=-~¨
,¨.~^$%&##                                          ##&%$^~.¨,
.-»^†*&¶@#                                          #@¶&*†^»-.
¨.-«;%%###                                          ###%%;«-.¨
,~=†%£@¶##                                          ##¶@£%†=~,