¨,-=%$£###                                          ###£$%=-,¨
¨,~^†=@@@£                                          £@@@=†^~,¨
..¨.»=«^§#                                          #§^«=».¨..
¨-»/*%£###                                          ###£%*/»-¨
,^~*§§¤#@#                                          #@#¤§§*~^,
¨.=;%$§§§#                statuette                 #§§§$%;=.¨
¨,«†*&¤£##                                          ##£¤&*†«,¨
..,:~,\§£@ *$$$@$%@%%&%¤§&*-~~~=»»»@£@£@§*$@££$§%&& @£§\,~:,..
,~~=*§£#£@                 @£&££§£*$                @£#£§*=~~,
,:~†§$&@@#                                          #@@&$§†~:,
¨~-*$§£@@# forests around my childhood  home. thick #@@£§$*-~¨
,,¨,,¨:~§# 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.              @@#@§§;-,¨
,.-:§%####                                          ####%§:-.,
¨~-\*%%§£¤                                          ¤£§%%*\-~¨
..¨,,,**@@                                          @@**,,,¨..
.~-††%&###                                          ###&%††-~.
.:»^*£§£@#                                          #@£§£*^»:.
.~~;†$=*£¶                                          ¶£*=$†;~~.