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