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