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