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