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