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