.^«\$&&#@#                                          #@#&&$\«^.
,,~-=*£#¶#                                          #¶#£*=-~,,
¨,..«†%%#£                                          £#%%†«..,¨
,¨,¨~»\§£#                                          #£§\»~¨,¨,
¨¨...^«^$§                                          §$^«^...¨¨
,,,.,¨:~:†                statuette                 †:~:¨,.,,,
..,.¨:«†%$                                          $%†«:¨.,..
.¨¨¨,~=$§& £$*%%%&&¤&%¤¤¤&*-»»»~«=~@&£$$¤££¤$$$*%$% &§$=~,¨¨¨.
¨...~:$¤¤#                 *%¤&&§&$§                #¤¤$:~...¨
.,-=^%&@#@                                          @#@&%^=-,.
..»:=%@### forests around  my childhood home. thick ###@%=:»..
.¨.»/^%§£@ pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and @£§%^/».¨.
,.¨:»\%@¤£      forgotten. wild boars roaming       £¤@%\»:¨.,
,,..^-=*@§ underneath, sniffing  at the ground.  it §@*=-^..,,
,.¨,..~**% is dark  and  moist,  the canopy  having %**~..,¨.,
,.,.¨.^~=§ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. §=~^.¨.,.,
¨.,..:~;=@                                          @=;~:..,.¨
.,.,-~/%%§ there's a river  passing  by, from  east §%%/~-,.,.
¨¨.,»/^§£@ to west, getting broader and  deeper and @£§^/»,.¨¨
.,^~**£@@@ slower as it  goes.  equisetum grow just @@@£**~^,.
,:~†*&#### where  the  pine  hands  start  to   let ####&*†~:,
¨,,-/^%§£# through  light,  horsemint on  the rocky #£§%^/-,,¨
.¨¨,»*§$&£                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.              @#£*/~,,,¨
,,¨,,»;%%¤                                          ¤%%;»,,¨,,
...¨.--*$%                                          %$*--.¨...
,¨¨,..,«/^                                          ^/«,..,¨¨,
..,.¨-~/%@                                          @%/~-¨.,..
.¨¨¨:==%&£                                          £&%==:¨¨¨.
¨..:=/=%¤@                                          @¤%=/=:..¨