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