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