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