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