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