,^==$*£&@£                                          £@&£*$==^,
.:~\*=&£§#                                          #§£&=*\~:.
¨.-»=«=*¤§                                          §¤*=«=»-.¨
.-=:%£§£##                                          ##£§£%:=-.
¨,»/%*#¶@#                                          #@¶#*%/»,¨
....~=£@¶¶                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 ##@@¤$*\,,
,,~=^¤&@## particle  board for  it to  dry on,  but ##@&¤^=~,,
.-«/§£§#@# she   is  worried   and  wants   me   to #@#§£§/«-.
..,»-^§§£#              throw it away.              #£§§^-»,..
¨-~/*£@£@£                                          £@£@£*/~-¨
.,^=-^=@¤#                                          #¤@=^-=^,.
,^«;=&¤###                                          ###¤&=;«^,
.-»\^§£#@#                                          #@#£§^\»-.
¨.-:$££@&@                                          @&@££$:-.¨
,,=†§*£@##                                          ##@£*§†=,,