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