.,,,^/%*£#                                          #£*%/^,,,.
,.~=^£#¶##                                          ##¶#£^=~.,
.¨,~†%*@#@                                          @#@*%†~,¨.
,..,.«-§$£                                          £$§-«.,..,
¨.«:†¤¤###                                          ###¤¤†:«.¨
.,¨..-††$£                statuette                 £$††-..¨,.
.:~;*%£@##                                          ##@£%*;~:.
,^~†$%@@## $$%£%£%*$£¤£*§§¤»»«»=»»-&%$$£&*£@£§$$$&% ##@@%$†~^,
.,=:*^^*¤&                 §$@£££@$§                &¤*^^*:=,.
¨,~:§%#@##                                          ##@#%§:~,¨
..«/%$¤£¶# 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 #@/-«»¨..,
.,«/$§££## she   is   worried   and  wants  me   to ##££§$/«,.
.¨¨¨,»†*$#              throw it away.              #$*†»,¨¨¨.
,.-,:-%&#&                                          &#&%-:,-.,
.~~^§@%&£§                                          §£&%@§^~~.
.~«;%*@@##                                          ##@@*%;«~.
¨,¨¨~\@£&&                                          &&£@\~¨¨,¨
¨.¨,,.«††&                                          &††«.,,¨.¨
.,.¨¨,\§¤&                                          &¤§\,¨¨.,.