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