.,,~\*§@##                                          ##@§*\~,,.
.¨,^=\†%&@                                          @&%†\=^,¨.
.....~^*§¤                                          ¤§*^~.....
,.¨.,:~\$$                                          $$\~:,.¨.,
¨¨¨¨..^-;=                                          =;-^..¨¨¨¨
,,¨.¨,,,~;                statuette                 ;~,,,¨.¨,,
,,,¨,¨,,~«                                          «~,,¨,¨,,,
,.¨.,.,^=^ %&£*%%§@$%%$@$£%=»««»~~-*%*$$@¤*¤*§%£%%& ^=^,.,.¨.,
,¨..¨.~-\$                 &*¤££%$&$                $\-~.¨..¨,
,.,.,,~\$£                                          £$\~,,.,.,
¨.¨.,=/$£& forests around my childhood home.  thick &£$/=,.¨.¨
,,.--^=@## 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.              £%^/-^¨,..
,,.¨,:«=*%                                          %*=«:,¨.,,
¨,,,¨,^~\*                                          *\~^,¨,,,¨
..¨,...-~^                                          ^~-...,¨..
¨,,.,.¨¨:=                                          =:¨¨.,.,,¨
.¨..,,,.~\                                          \~.,,,..¨.
¨¨,¨.,~=\^                                          ^\=~,.¨,¨¨