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