.^»*$@@@##                                          ##@@@$*»^.
¨~-«†=^$&@                                          @&$^=†«-~¨
¨¨¨¨..«-%¤                                          ¤%-«..¨¨¨¨
,«/%¤@@###                                          ###@@¤%/«,
.,~==%@@##                                          ##@@%==~,.
,-«\%¤@@@#                 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, #&$/~.¨,.¨
.:«^^%&###   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ###&%^^«:.
¨-=;^&§### freshly made, not yet completely  dried. ###§&^;=-¨
¨.-=†/*¤&#                                          #&¤*/†=-.¨
,.¨.«»†=@# my mom is  here now. i  ask her for some #@=†»«.¨.,
¨¨¨..,.=§# particle  board  for it to  dry  on, but #§=.,..¨¨¨
.¨.¨,,~^@# she   is   worried  and  wants   me   to #@^~,,¨.¨.
,~-:**£@##              throw it away.              ##@£**:-~,
.~«\=$£*£@                                          @£*£$=\«~.
.,~/*¤#@§#                                          #§@#¤*/~,.
¨..¨-**%#¶                                          ¶#%**-¨..¨
,.¨,¨,,*$¶                                          ¶$*,,¨,¨.,
,..:~»=:%#                                          #%:=»~:..,
,~~=*£¤£##                                          ##£¤£*=~~,