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