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