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