..~~**@£##                                          ##£@**~~..
,,-\%$&@##                                          ##@&$%\-,,
,,:«:=$£@#                                          #@£$=:«:,,
.¨,,=†%¤&#                                          #&¤%†=,,¨.
,¨.=^%@§##                                          ##§@%^=.¨,
,~»†%&@###                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 ##@§$$*».,
¨¨,»:$*#@#             other belongings.            #@#*$:»,¨¨
,...~/%&&@                                          @&&%/~...,
..--/*%£## it's  a statuette of a girl laying naked ##£%*/--..
¨-»*†@¤### on   her  stomach,  feet   in  the  air, ###¤@†*»-¨
.,.~:^¤§##   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ##§¤^:~.,.
¨..:=/§@§# freshly made, not yet completely  dried. #§@§/=:..¨
.,:«^%§£##                                          ##£§%^«:,.
.,~^=&¤### my mom is here now. i ask her  for  some ###¤&=^~,.
¨.:=**&§## particle board for  it  to dry  on,  but ##§&**=:.¨
¨,,.~;%§&@ she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to @&§%;~.,,¨
,.~«^=*&##              throw it away.              ##&*=^«~.,
¨-«*$$¤@##                                          ##@¤$$*«-¨
,.,~/§@£##                                          ##£@§/~,.,
,¨,~»†§*£@                                          @£*§†»~,¨,
¨,,-;^§&@#                                          #@&§^;-,,¨
.:=/%$§@##                                          ##@§$%/=:.
.¨,=†*%£##                                          ##£%*†=,¨.