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