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