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