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