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