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