.,,,^~^**#                                          #**^~^,,,.
..,,,,«^%£                                          £%^«,,,,..
¨,¨¨.,,~†^                                          ^†~,,.¨¨,¨
.¨¨.,:~:*@                                          @*:~:,.¨¨.
.¨¨,~«/§*#                                          #*§/«~,¨¨.
,,.:=:%££#                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.             $^-.¨..¨¨.
.,¨¨¨~-;†$                                          $†;-~¨¨¨,.
,.,.:~\=*¤ it's  a statuette of a girl laying naked ¤*=\~:.,.,
.¨..-;**¤¶ on  her  stomach,   feet  in  the   air, ¶¤**;-..¨.
,.-=/=§¤@@   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   @@¤§=/=-.,
¨:=^†*&@@# freshly  made, not yet completely dried. #@@&*†^=:¨
¨..~^*%§##                                          ##§%*^~..¨
¨,.^~/%%&£ my mom is here now.  i ask her for  some £&%%/~^.,¨
...,.~/%¤& particle  board  for  it to  dry on, but &¤%/~.,...
¨,...~~/†§ she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to §†/~~...,¨
¨.....,«/†              throw it away.              †/«,.....¨
,.,.,:~*=£                                          £=*~:,.,.,
¨¨.¨:~=%&£                                          £&%=~:¨.¨¨
¨,.^~\=$§@                                          @§$=\~^.,¨
¨,:~**%#@#                                          #@#%**~:,¨
.~~^^$§@@#                                          #@@§$^^~~.
¨,-«:$§¤¶#                                          #¶¤§$:«-,¨