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