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