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