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