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