,,.¨.~:*%@                                          @%*:~.¨.,,
.¨.,==%@##                                          ##@%==,.¨.
,¨-~/=£@##                                          ##@£=/~-¨,
.,~;$£¤###                                          ###¤£$;~,.
¨¨^=;†%@@#                                          #@@%†;=^¨¨
,.,,~;^@#@                 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.              $/-,¨¨¨..,
.,,,.,.:=:                                          :=:.,.,,,.
.,,.,,,¨^»                                          »^¨,,,.,,.
..¨,...,¨,                                          ,¨,...,¨..
,.¨,,¨..^-                                          -^..¨,,¨.,
.¨¨¨,.¨~=:                                          :=~¨.,¨¨¨.
¨¨.,..,»:†                                          †:»,..,.¨¨