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