.^~**@@£##                                          ##£@@**~^.
¨.¨~«$@%¤@                                          @¤%@$«~¨.¨
¨.~;=£@###                                          ###@£=;~.¨
¨-==*&§@@#                                          #@@§&*==-¨
¨,-;%&@#@@                                          @@#@&%;-,¨
,,»:%¤&¶@¶                 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 £$$£¤%*~~¨
,.«=*%¤#@# radio  (now  dented) but  also  a  small #@#¤%*=«.,
,,~,~*$*£# clay  figure i've  never seen before. it #£*$*~,~,,
.^=;%¤§### must have been laying  in the  wet dirt, ###§¤%;=^.
..,.¨.~*§@ and  i  must've picked  it  up  with  my @§*~.¨.,..
.^=:*@@###             other belongings.            ###@@*:=^.
.:»\*&@£##                                          ##£@&*\»:.
.^~;†&##@# it's a  statuette of a girl laying naked #@##&†;~^.
¨,¨,-**$## on   her   stomach,  feet  in  the  air, ##$**-,¨,¨
,¨,.~,*;£@   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   @£;*,~.,¨,
¨..~,*£@@# freshly made, not  yet completely dried. #@@£*,~..¨
.¨¨,¨,.~^§                                          §^~.,¨,¨¨.
,.,,.:=$¤@ my mom  is here now. i ask  her for some @¤$=:.,,.,
¨¨.¨,:~†*£ particle  board  for it to dry  on,  but £*†~:,¨.¨¨
,,..~:*%£¤ she   is  worried   and   wants   me  to ¤£%*:~..,,
¨,¨,~;†*@&              throw it away.              &@*†;~,¨,¨
,,,.~»†=§#                                          #§=†»~.,,,
.,..~--$$£                                          £$$--~..,.
,:-†$$@###                                          ###@$$†-:,
,:=*$£@@§¤                                          ¤§@@£$*=:,
.^-^*&#@@#                                          #@@#&*^-^.
.:~;$*¶###                                          ###¶*$;~:.