..»\^%§£@#                                          #@£§%^\»..
.,,»:%*@£@                                          @£@*%:»,,.
.,.:-†**@¶                                          ¶@**†-:.,.
¨,¨.,»;*§§                                          §§*;»,.¨,¨
.¨¨~~:%§&¶                                          ¶&§%:~~¨¨.
¨¨.~†$¤££#                 statuette                #££¤$†~.¨¨
,,«†=£####                                          ####£=†«,,
..,«/^@¤@# %*&%*%£¤£§%¤£&£¤=~=»-~=«$£$&$%§@$%$%£$¤% #@¤@^/«,..
¨¨..-^^%&£                **%§£&&%¤                 £&%^^-..¨¨
..¨¨-~†^§£                                          £§^†~-¨¨..
,.,~=;$@£# forests around my childhood  home. thick #£@$;=~,.,
,,--;*$@#@ pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and @#@$*;--,,
¨,«=%%§@@#       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 #¶#$†/~,¨¨
¨.«\$%£###              throw it away.              ###£%$\«.¨
,¨.=^*££@#                                          #@££*^=.¨,
,,,,«:§£§#                                          #§£§:«,,,,
...¨:«†%§£                                          £§%†«:¨...
¨,.-=:*£§#                                          #§£*:=-.,¨
¨.,«:$&&@#                                          #@&&$:«,.¨
,--/*¤#£##                                          ##£#¤*/--,