.^~:†%####                                          ####%†:~^.
¨,^»;*$&##                                          ##&$*;»^,¨
.¨¨-~:%$£#                                          #£$%:~-¨¨.
..,=\$%¤@#                                          #@¤%$\=,..
.:~\*%@###                                          ###@%*\~:.
¨,:-=*¤#@#                 statuette                #@#¤*=-:,¨
¨...»*%$&#                                          #&$%*»...¨
¨,~~;^$&## %£$¤$%@%@**$££%$~~~»-~-=&*%%*$&£¤$@*&*$& ##&$^;~~,¨
.~«\†%&###                £@*£$%@$$                 ###&%†\«~.
,¨--:=££##                                          ##££=:--¨,
,,¨.~/*@## forests  around my childhood home. thick ##@*/~.¨,,
¨,,»/%%@## pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and ##@%%/»,,¨
.:~†§%@@##       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ##@@%§†~:.
¨.-»^*¤&## underneath, sniffing  at  the ground. it ##&¤*^»-.¨
¨,¨-«**$&# is  dark  and moist,  the canopy  having #&$**«-¨,¨
.¨^=;%£&@# already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. #@&£%;=^¨.
,,~=%£¤###                                          ###¤£%=~,,
.¨^-/=££## there's  a river  passing by, from  east ##££=/-^¨.
,,.,-:$%¤# to  west, getting broader and deeper and #¤%$:-,.,,
,¨^~:*¤§## slower as  it goes.  equisetum grow just ##§¤*:~^¨,
¨~-\§*£### where  the  pine  hands  start  to   let ###£*§\-~¨
¨¨,~*%%@## through light,  horsemint on  the  rocky ##@%%*~,¨¨
...^»^$$£#                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 #@£¤^\»^¨.
¨,«†$§£###              throw it away.              ###£§$†«,¨
¨.^=^*%#@#                                          #@#%*^=^.¨
,.¨,«=%££@                                          @££%=«,¨.,
.¨~«^^$£@#                                          #@£$^^«~¨.
,--=*%#@##                                          ##@#%*=--,
,¨.«†^$£@#                                          #@£$^†«.¨,
¨¨¨^»:§££#                                          #££§:»^¨¨¨