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