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