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