.^»/=$§#@#                                          #@#§$=/»^.
..»^=*¤&§#                                          #§&¤*=^»..
.~»\%%#£##                                          ##£#%%\»~.
¨,-*†&@###                                          ###@&†*-,¨
..«\†%&£@#                                          #@£&%†\«..
¨.»*§$§¶@@                 statuette                @@¶§$§*».¨
,¨¨,¨»:*&#                                          #&*:»¨,¨¨,
.,~/*£§### ¤££¤£%£££§$&§$$@~~=~~~~-%£%$§$@¤¤§£%£@%* ###§£*/~,.
..¨¨,¨~/$&                 @§$$$%§£&                &$/~¨,¨¨..
¨.¨--=£&@#                                          #@&£=--¨.¨
¨,,~-^.;*¤ forests around  my childhood home. thick ¤*;.^-~,,¨
¨.,.,»%*%@ pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and @%*%»,.,.¨
.-«/=*@###      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ###@*=/«-.
,^»;§£¤@## underneath, sniffing at the  ground.  it ##@¤£§;»^,
¨~»:†%§#@# is  dark  and  moist,  the canopy having #@#§%†:»~¨
¨.,.,=§#¶# already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. #¶#§=,.,.¨
,,-«~\†*&@                                          @&*†\~«-,,
,,=*$£¤### 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.              ####£=:~,.
¨,,..,*@@¶                                          ¶@@*,..,,¨
¨~=†%*£@##                                          ##@£*%†=~¨
,-»;†$####                                          ####$†;»-,
.,~-~^%$@@                                          @@$%^~-~,.
¨,~:$%@###                                          ###@%$:~,¨
.:=^:*%$¶#                                          #¶$%*:^=:.