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