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