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