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