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