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