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