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