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