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