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