.~~;*%§¶##                                          ##¶§%*;~~.
..,¨~~~%%¤                                          ¤%%~~~¨,..
.:«=†*#£@#                                          #@£#*†=«:.
.~-;%£¤###                                          ###¤£%;-~.
¨.^~;*$%¤&                                          &¤%$*;~^.¨
¨.«\§$@##@                statuette                 @##@$§\«.¨
,,~;^¤¤£@#                                          #@£¤¤^;~,,
,,=^*$#@@# £&@££&&£¤$£§$*$*===-~--~¤£¤*@§£§£&%&$@*% #@@#$*^=,,
,«*=%#¶###                 ¤*@§£@@%£                ###¶#%=*«,
.~«=†¤@¶@#                                          #@¶@¤†=«~.
,,«\**&@## 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   §@£#$%†-:¨
..¨.¨~^££# freshly made, not  yet completely dried. #££^~¨.¨..
¨:-††%¤@##                                          ##@¤%††-:¨
.:~**££### my  mom is here now. i ask her  for some ###££**~:.
¨,¨.:=-;@§ particle  board for it to  dry  on,  but §@;-=:.¨,¨
.,~;%¤@@@# she  is  worried   and   wants   me   to #@@@¤%;~,.
,,.,¨-§£§¤              throw it away.              ¤§£§-¨,.,,
¨¨,¨¨,,*%¶                                          ¶%*,,¨¨,¨¨
.:~~*†&¤@@                                          @@¤&†*~~:.
¨,~^%£&###                                          ###&£%^~,¨
,.»*:;:;$@                                          @$;:;:*».,
¨-~;*%£###                                          ###£%*;~-¨
.-~†%*¤###                                          ###¤*%†~-.