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