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