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