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