.~-/%££@##                                          ##@££%/-~.
.-=†=£§@#@                                          @#@§£=†=-.
,.,~~~=£¶#                                          #¶£=~~~,.,
,,.¨=~=;*#                                          #*;=~=¨.,,
¨.-†*@§###                                          ###§@*†-.¨
.^»/$¤$%££                 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 #£@&$$:«,.
,,~=::^%$# particle  board  for it to dry  on,  but #$%^::=~,,
.-~:%$£#@¶ she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to ¶@#£$%:~-.
,,~:$&§###              throw it away.              ###§&$:~,,
.--=*@§###                                          ###§@*=--.
,¨,,.»\@%@                                          @%@\».,,¨,
.¨..-:£$@#                                          #@$£:-..¨.
,¨..,=/%§#                                          #§%/=,..¨,
,^«††*¤@##                                          ##@¤*††«^,
,-~\%££@##                                          ##@££%\~-,