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