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