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