,:~^§¤@###                                          ###@¤§^~:,
,,,~^*@###                                          ###@*^~,,,
¨,.-~:$&#@                                          @#&$:~-.,¨
,,:-\*$###                                          ###$*\-:,,
.^«\$%#@##                                          ##@#%$\«^.
..,«:%§###                 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. #@#$%†--¨¨
,,«**@####                                          ####@**«,,
¨¨~-*%&#@# my  mom is here now. i ask her for  some #@#&%*-~¨¨
¨.¨,«†*¤@# particle  board  for it  to dry  on, but #@¤*†«,¨.¨
¨.,~=^££## she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to ##££^=~,.¨
¨--†%£#@##              throw it away.              ##@#£%†--¨
,.^~\§$£##                                          ##£$§\~^.,
,.¨-»\*%##                                          ##%*\»-¨.,
¨.^-;§£#@#                                          #@#£§;-^.¨
,~-††%@###                                          ###@%††-~,
¨.-~;^@###                                          ###@^;~-.¨
.,¨,~**@##                                          ##@**~,¨,.