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