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