¨~~†$*¤###                                          ###¤*$†~~¨
¨,=††@&£##                                          ##£&@††=,¨
¨~»/%£&#&@                                          @&#&£%/»~¨
¨~»;%%####                                          ####%%;»~¨
..,¨¨~*§@&                                          &@§*~¨¨,..
,^~*§¤¤@##                 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. ##@@£$†~-¨
..¨¨,=:^¤¶                                          ¶¤^:=,¨¨..
,.-†§%@### my  mom is here now. i  ask her for some ###@%§†-.,
.,»^**#¶## particle  board for it  to  dry  on, but ##¶#**^»,.
..-*†%£&¤@ she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to @¤&£%†*-..
,,«\/*\£##              throw it away.              ##£\*/\«,,
,--:*$£#@#                                          #@#£$*:--,
,,»:^*&@##                                          ##@&*^:»,,
¨,»†%=§£@#                                          #@£§=%†»,¨
,.¨¨¨:\:†§                                          §†:\:¨¨¨.,
¨,«^^^:†&@                                          @&†:^^^«,¨
.¨¨.-~/$&#                                          #&$/~-.¨¨.