.¨^-^†%¤##                                          ##¤%†^-^¨.
¨¨,^~\$$£@                                          @£$$\~^,¨¨
,.,,^»*%£&                                          &£%*»^,,.,
,.,,~:%*@¶                                          ¶@*%:~,,.,
.¨:-:*$&¶#                                          #¶&$*:-:¨.
,-~/†£¤¶@#                statuette                 #@¶¤£†/~-,
.,,~:§$&@#                                          #@&$§:~,,.
..¨,~†$$## ¤%¤£%£$§@§£&$£$%~»~~~-=~£$£§*¤£*%&$%§$%$ ##$$†~,¨..
¨..¨,~*%&@                £££@%$@@£                 @&%*~,¨..¨
¨,¨:=/%*§#                                          #§*%/=:¨,¨
,¨.»††&§## forests around my childhood  home. thick ##§&††».¨,
,,»;§%@#@# pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and #@#@%§;»,,
¨.^«†*&#@#       forgotten. wild boars roaming      #@#&*†«^.¨
,,¨~=^†*¤¶ underneath, sniffing at  the  ground. it ¶¤*†^=~¨,,
.¨¨,,=†=*@ is  dark  and moist,  the canopy  having @*=†=,,¨¨.
,,,^-\§$## already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ##$§\-^,,,
,.~~^%$&¶#                                          #¶&$%^~~.,
.~~^%&&#@# there's  a river  passing by,  from east #@#&&%^~~.
.,^«^$$#¶@ 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.              #@£$$*»,,.
,,.~-†=%£#                                          #£%=†-~.,,
¨,,¨.=/$*#                                          #*$/=.¨,,¨
,,,,-/†£&#                                          #&£†/-,,,,
¨.~«=†%§#@                                          @#§%†=«~.¨
,-~/%%¤@##                                          ##@¤%%/~-,
¨.^«:%$#@#                                          #@#$%:«^.¨