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