.,~^^^%&#£                                          £#&%^^^~,.
¨¨¨¨.:\§@#                                          #@§\:.¨¨¨¨
¨~-*%£§@@#                                          #@@§£%*-~¨
.,.~=*^†£#                                          #£†^*=~.,.
.¨,,¨==@$&                                          &$@==¨,,¨.
,-~:$$@#£@                 statuette                @£#@$$:~-,
.,~;%£¤¶@¶                                          ¶@¶¤£%;~,.
,^«†%£#¶## %£$%§%$$$@%¤%$¤*~»=«-=«~££%$%*££@&%$%$£% ##¶#£%†«^,
¨.~*¤§@###                ££**¤£§§£                 ###@§¤*~.¨
¨-~^$%@£@#                                          #@£@%$^~-¨
,,~-=;^*%¶ 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 ##@£$$=»^,
.~~†%§@£@#               my pockets.                #@£@§%†~~.
,,~:*%@@@#                                          #@@@%*:~,,
¨,,...«=@# then  i  run  east   toward   my   home. #@=«...,,¨
,~~:§£@###                                          ###@£§:~~,
.¨^^-««§=@                    †                     @=§««-^^¨.
¨-~*$£&#@#                                          #@#&£$*~-¨
,.,,~%$&@# i  am not followed, and slow down in the #@&$%~,,.,
,¨,,:*$@§# clearing where  you  at  first can  spot #§@$*:,,¨,
¨^~^^££#@# the  house,  not  yet  really   in   the #@#££^^~^¨
¨,,:,::†£@ backyard. from my pockets i  retrieve my @£†::,:,,¨
,-=;%%#### radio  (now  dented)  but  also  a small ####%%;=-,
¨^»;*§&@## clay  figure i've  never seen before. it ##@&§*;»^¨
,.¨,~*&&§§ must have been laying in  the  wet dirt, §§&&*~,¨.,
,¨¨-~:†&@@ and  i  must've  picked  it  up with  my @@&†:~-¨¨,
¨,,¨¨.»^%£             other belongings.            £%^».¨¨,,¨
,~==\:\*¤@                                          @¤*\:\==~,
.-=^§¤@£§& it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked &§£@¤§^=-.
,.-;\;§$§@ on   her  stomach,  feet  in  the   air, @§$§;\;-.,
¨,.¨¨~;*§#   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   #§*;~¨¨.,¨
¨--\^%£@@# freshly made, not yet completely  dried. #@@£%^\--¨
.¨¨,¨,=~†¤                                          ¤†~=,¨,¨¨.
.--^%%£¶@# my mom is here now.  i ask her for  some #@¶£%%^--.
¨:~\*@@£@# particle  board for  it  to dry on,  but #@£@@*\~:¨
,,»;=¤¤@## she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to ##@¤¤=;»,,
.-~:†§*£@#              throw it away.              #@£*§†:~-.
.:«^†*$$$@                                          @$$$*†^«:.
,--~»$§%&£                                          £&%§$»~--,
,,¨.»»\*¤§                                          §¤*\»».¨,,
,¨..»«†*&#                                          #&*†«»..¨,
.-~;*$@@##                                          ##@@$*;~-.
.:«=\:=$£#                                          #£$=:\=«:.