,=*=@@####                                          ####@@=*=,
.^«:=§§###                                          ###§§=:«^.
,.~:\=§#@£                                          £@#§=\:~.,
.¨,~:*§%*¶                                          ¶*%§*:~,¨.
.¨¨¨.«*%@@                                          @@%*«.¨¨¨.
¨,.~«*$£$#                 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   ###&$=^=-¨
.,~^§%&### freshly made,  not yet completely dried. ###&%§^~,.
..,~///$@#                                          #@$///~,..
..~^*§@#@# my mom is here now. i ask her  for  some #@#@§*^~..
¨,,¨.,\£¶# particle  board  for it  to dry  on, but #¶£\,.¨,,¨
¨¨¨,.«%§=§ she   is  worried  and   wants   me   to §=§%«.,¨¨¨
..,,..,=%@              throw it away.              @%=,..,,..
¨¨.:~^†@§#                                          #§@†^~:.¨¨
¨:-;%%@@@#                                          #@@@%%;-:¨
,.«:$#####                                          #####$:«.,
¨:«*%*¤@##                                          ##@¤*%*«:¨
,~==*&£@##                                          ##@£&*==~,
¨¨¨¨,/=§§@                                          @§§=/,¨¨¨¨