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