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