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