,¨.--†=&£#                                          #£&=†--.¨,
¨,..,»†$$£                                          £$$†»,..,¨
¨...-**%#@                                          @#%**-...¨
¨.~=*$$¤##                                          ##¤$$*=~.¨
¨,=†%§£@##                                          ##@£§%†=,¨
.,:=†%*###                 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 ###@¤=*»,¨
,,-»:=$@@# she   is   worried  and   wants   me  to #@@$=:»-,,
,,¨,-==$@#              throw it away.              #@$==-,¨,,
..,.,=:=¤#                                          #¤=:=,.,..
,,.,»=§$&#                                          #&$§=»,.,,
¨¨,»;†$§@#                                          #@§$†;»,¨¨
.^»\§%£###                                          ###£%§\»^.
¨.-~;§&###                                          ###&§;~-.¨
.,.-«:†££#                                          #££†:«-.,.