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