¨~-:%£§@##                                          ##@§£%:-~¨
,.,,,-~\$#                                          #$\~-,,,.,
¨,-;%§@###                                          ###@§%;-,¨
,,¨,,«†=§£                                          £§=†«,,¨,,
¨.¨,,.,†¤#                                          #¤†,.,,¨.¨
,.»;%@#¶##                statuette                 ##¶#@%;».,
¨.,=:=†&¤§                                          §¤&†=:=,.¨
¨,,.,^§$£# £*£$$&*$&¤@§$£@*--=~~«~~$£$¤%¤§$*%*&@£$% #£$§^,.,,¨
¨,»==%¶###                @%¤*¤&**%                 ###¶%==»,¨
¨-»*^*§@@#                                          #@@§*^*»-¨
,.,¨~~%¤§@ forests around  my childhood home. thick @§¤%~~¨,.,
.,.,.-;/@& pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and &@/;-.,.,.
..,~«^$£§£       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 ###&¤$/~-.
,~«\§*§§@# she   is   worried   and  wants   me  to #@§§*§\«~,
,^~:=§&###              throw it away.              ###&§=:~^,
,,~/*@£¶##                                          ##¶£@*/~,,
,,»\*@£###                                          ###£@*\»,,
.,-=^%@#@#                                          #@#@%^=-,.
.,=/%$£###                                          ###£$%/=,.
¨¨¨,,.-/*¤                                          ¤*/-.,,¨¨¨
¨,-/%&&###                                          ###&&%/-,¨