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