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