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