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