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