...,~\*§&#                                          #&§*\~,...
.¨,,,~*$£§                                          §£$*~,,,¨.
¨..,,^-/^¤                                          ¤^/-^,,..¨
,¨,,.¨~=;†                                          †;=~¨.,,¨,
¨,..,:-\^$                                          $^\-:,..,¨
,.,¨~-^^$§                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 @@$§;-,,,.
,.¨¨~~^%&& she  is   worried   and   wants  me   to &&%^~~¨¨.,
¨¨..¨-»:*@              throw it away.              @*:»-¨..¨¨
,¨,¨¨,~=*§                                          §*=~,¨¨,¨,
.¨.¨.^«:%%                                          %%:«^.¨.¨.
.¨.¨,~^†%&                                          &%†^~,¨.¨.
¨,,^-/%&££                                          ££&%/-^,,¨
¨.^«^$%###                                          ###%$^«^.¨
.--*$%&@##                                          ##@&%$*--.