¨^«^=$£###                                          ###£$=^«^¨
..-»^$§@##                                          ##@§$^»-..
,,..~^†*¤¶                                          ¶¤*†^~..,,
.¨.,-«/*%@                                          @%*/«-,.¨.
.¨¨:-/†%&¶                                          ¶&%†/-:¨¨.
¨.,==*$§##                statuette                 ##§$*==,.¨
.~«/*%§@##                                          ##@§%*/«~.
¨¨,=**@@¶# @£*%¤@¤¤$@&*£¤¤*~==»~==«¤£¤&@¤&¤£@¤%%§** #¶@@**=,¨¨
..,^==^*&@                %*%%££$$£                 @&*^==^,..
.¨,¨~-††£&                                          &£††-~¨,¨.
.,¨-»^§£¤# forests  around my childhood home. thick #¤£§^»-¨,.
¨.:==§%£@# pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and #@£%§==:.¨
,:»/†§####       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ####§†/»:,
,,^~†%%&@# underneath, sniffing  at  the ground. it #@&%%†~^,,
¨.,~»^%¤¤@ is  dark and  moist,  the  canopy having @¤¤%^»~,.¨
,¨¨.-~/§£¤ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¤£§/~-.¨¨,
.,.~~\=¤£#                                          #£¤=\~~.,.
,.-=\%%¤@# there's  a  river passing  by, from east #@¤%%\=-.,
.,~:%¤#@## to west, getting broader  and deeper and ##@#¤%:~,.
.,:=;†££@# slower as it  goes.  equisetum grow just #@££†;=:,.
¨,,^~\%§£@ where  the   pine  hands  start  to  let @£§%\~^,,¨
¨,¨,,=;%@& through  light,  horsemint on  the rocky &@%;=,,¨,¨
,,.,~\$%¤#                river bed.                #¤%$\~,.,,
..:»\**#¶#                                          #¶#**\»:..
,,-\§$&@##                    ^                     ##@&$§\-,,
..:~\%%&##                                          ##&%%\~:..
..¨.~^=@£# the riverbanks  reek of  magic.  tonight #£@=^~.¨..
....:-^*§§ they  had been a  swampworld with sylvan §§*^-:....
,.,~-†^$@# water, stone rings  and  floating  moss. #@$^†-~,.,
..-=:*$§@# you  could've found me  wallowing around #@§$*:=-..
¨--/*¤@### on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got ###@¤*/--¨
.,^-;*§###                  bitten.                 ###§*;-^,.
,.¨,-†%%£#                                          #£%%†-,¨.,
¨¨.¨.»^^%§ but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid §%^^».¨.¨¨
¨,..»:=£§@ ground, in shoulder-high  grass, with an @§£=:»..,¨
,..~^^§££# orange  tin  radio   and  a  translucent #££§^^~..,
,-»*$$£###      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.              ##¶¤@†=~-¨
.¨.~\*§£@#                                          #@£§*\~.¨.
,¨¨,-†%*£#                                          #£*%†-,¨¨,
,,¨.,~;*¤§                                          §¤*;~,.¨,,
,.¨:=:†@¤@                                          @¤@†:=:¨.,
.,~~^*%###                                          ###%*^~~,.
¨:~/†*#@##                                          ##@#*†/~:¨