,,«;^§¶###                                          ###¶§^;«,,
..-~;§£¶@#                                          #@¶£§;~-..
,.,:~^*%#@                                          @#%*^~:,.,
¨,,.~«\**@                                          @**\«~.,,¨
.,.,-:*£##                                          ##£*:-,.,.
¨,,~;*$£@#                 statuette                #@£$*;~,,¨
.,«:=%@###                                          ###@%=:«,.
¨.~»†%%#@# ¤&$%¤£&£%£¤$££££~-«~-»~-$%£&&%%&$%£%£%¤@ #@#%%†»~.¨
.,.-«/$£@#                $%&**£%¤*                 #@£$/«-.,.
¨.¨,:»*†$@                                          @$†*»:,¨.¨
.,¨.«^$&£# forests  around my childhood home. thick #£&$^«.¨,.
,.^=:$§### pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and ###§$:=^.,
,,=**%@@##       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 ###£$/~,,¨
..=**%@###              throw it away.              ###@%**=..
..,»/*¤@##                                          ##@¤*/»,..
..,~«=%§£#                                          #£§%=«~,..
.,¨.,=/%%#                                          #%%/=,.¨,.
,,,,-†%&##                                          ##&%†-,,,,
..:=:%$#@#                                          #@#$%:=:..
,-~\*$@@##                                          ##@@$*\~-,