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