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