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