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