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