,,=;%§§@##                                          ##@§§%;=,,
¨,^-^*%¤##                                          ##¤%*^-^,¨
,.,,~;†*#@                                          @#*†;~,,.,
¨.,¨,-*%$@                                          @$%*-,¨,.¨
,,¨¨.-«:*%                                          %*:«-.¨¨,,
,¨,..,:-*§                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 ##@$=\~~.¨
.,~=§§#@## particle  board for  it  to dry  on, but ##@#§§=~,.
.¨,~/%§@## she   is   worried   and  wants  me   to ##@§%/~,¨.
.¨¨~~=**§@              throw it away.              @§**=~~¨¨.
.,.¨--/^$@                                          @$^/--¨.,.
..,,¨,~*§$                                          $§*~,¨,,..
.,¨...,=\†                                          †\=,...¨,.
,,¨¨..¨-~;                                          ;~-¨..¨¨,,
¨..¨,.¨¨.«                                          «.¨¨.,¨..¨
.¨.,,¨.-~^                                          ^~-.¨,,.¨.