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