.,~=§*£@##                                          ##@£*§=~,.
.-~=$£¤@##                                          ##@¤£$=~-.
.^~^%%&###                                          ###&%%^~^.
,.-†%%¤###                                          ###¤%%†-.,
,,=;†¤####                                          ####¤†;=,,
.:~**$¤£##                 statuette                ##£¤$**~:.
,,«:=%@@##                                          ##@@%=:«,,
¨¨,..:,*%@ £$§£¤%¤*$*£@£%**~-~---=~%£@$$%¤*%£@$%££& @%*,:..,¨¨
¨.¨,.=;%$@                 ¤%¤%*$£%$                @$%;=.,¨.¨
.,¨.¨,\^#@                                          @#^\,¨.¨,.
,,¨.,¨-\&¤ forests around my childhood home.  thick ¤&\-¨,.¨,,
,--;§$&@@# pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and #@@&$§;--,
¨^=/%@£¶#@      forgotten. wild boars roaming       @#¶£@%/=^¨
.:-=†%##@# underneath, sniffing at the  ground.  it #@##%†=-:.
¨¨¨¨..»^&@ is  dark and moist,  the  canopy  having @&^»..¨¨¨¨
.--†%$&¶@@ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. @@¶&$%†--.
.¨...,~\%&                                          &%\~,...¨.
,-»=~$$&££ 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 #*~...¨¨,,
¨.»=$££###              throw it away.              ###££$=».¨
.~-†*¤§@##                                          ##@§¤*†-~.
,,.,.¨«*§#                                          #§*«¨.,.,,
¨-~:^*&###                                          ###&*^:~-¨
,,.¨,†&$£@                                          @£$&†,¨.,,
.:~*^$####                                          ####$^*~:.
¨.¨...¨«$#                                          #$«¨...¨.¨