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