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