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