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