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