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