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