.:»;†§¤@##                                          ##@¤§†;»:.
,-»\*$§@@#                                          #@@§$*\»-,
.^«\§¤#@@#                                          #@@#¤§\«^.
¨^-\%*@¤£#                                          #£¤@*%\-^¨
¨-=\$$§¶##                                          ##¶§$$\=-¨
¨~=***##£@                 statuette                @£##***=~¨
...~~«†*@#                                          #@*†«~~...
..¨.~%§%@# $$@%%$%¤%&%££*%£=»«~~««~$£§&§%¤¤@¤£%$$&£ #@%§%~.¨..
¨,¨-,,^†@&                 £&§%¤%¤$£                &@†^,,-¨,¨
,,~;%¤£@##                                          ##@£¤%;~,,
,,..:--/££ forests around my  childhood home. thick ££/--:..,,
.....,»%&# pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and #&%»,.....
..,.,,=%&£       forgotten. wild boars roaming      £&%=,,.,..
¨.,.«=~%†@ underneath,  sniffing  at the ground. it @†%~=«.,.¨
.,.¨»=-=£@ is  dark  and  moist, the  canopy having @£=-=»¨.,.
¨.-†%$#### already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ####$%†-.¨
¨.~†$£§£@@                                          @@£§£$†~.¨
.~~=*@¤### there's a  river passing by,  from  east ###¤@*=~~.
,.-^*$#@## to west, getting broader and  deeper and ##@#$*^-.,
¨..¨~=&¤&# slower as it goes.  equisetum grow  just #&¤&=~¨..¨
,-=†*¤££## where  the   pine  hands  start  to  let ##££¤*†=-,
¨,:-^:†£§¶ through light,  horsemint  on  the rocky ¶§£†:^-:,¨
,~»=*¤&¶##                river bed.                ##¶&¤*=»~,
¨¨¨,,/$$%£                                          £%$$/,,¨¨¨
:«^*£@@@##                     /                    ##@@@£*^«:
¨,¨,«^¤§£#                                          #£§¤^«,¨,¨
.,¨,-~;%†§ the riverbanks reek  of  magic.  tonight §†%;~-,¨,.
,.¨,.,,;%@ they had  been a swampworld with  sylvan @%;,,.,¨.,
.:~^=$@§#¤ water,  stone  rings and  floating moss. ¤#§@$=^~:.
.¨...,^:¤# you  could've  found me wallowing around #¤:^,...¨.
.:«*%£#### on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got ####£%*«:.
,,-†%$@@@#                  bitten.                 #@@@$%†-,,
.,...:-††¤                                          ¤††-:...,.
,,=\%¤£##@ but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid @##£¤%\=,,
,-=\†@§#@# ground, in shoulder-high grass,  with an #@#§@†\=-,
¨:-\*@§@## orange  tin  radio   and  a  translucent ##@§@*\-:¨
,¨,¨~~†*££      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      ££*†~~¨,¨,
..-\$$@¶##                                          ##¶@$$\-..
,,~/=%£@¶#                     ^                    #¶@£%=/~,,
¨.,,¨,~†*#                                          #*†~,¨,,.¨
:===¤¤¶@## 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.              &&$~..¨.¨.
.^»\§£$¤##                                          ##¤$£§\»^.
¨,,.¨-^%¤@                                          @¤%^-¨.,,¨
,,~:§%@@#@                                          @#@@%§:~,,
,-~=:†^*£#                                          #£*^†:=~-,
¨:=;=§¤@##                                          ##@¤§=;=:¨
¨:=^%#@###                                          ###@#%^=:¨