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