,.-=*%§¶@#                                          #@¶§%*=-.,
,~»;§&&@##                                          ##@&&§;»~,
¨^»=§££@##                                          ##@££§=»^¨
¨~»†^£¤##@                                          @##¤£^†»~¨
,~~/*¤¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤¤*/~~,
,,~*==%$@@                statuette                 @@$%==*~,,
,,,..^=£@¶                                          ¶@£=^..,,,
¨^~^†%@#@# %§%$£$¤£¤%$%&%£$~-«~~--«¤¤£$$$§%¤§¤£*@§* #@#@%†^~^¨
.~=\=&¤###                 *%¤$$%$%%                ###¤&=\=~.
¨,--,-«\&#                                          #&\«-,--,¨
,,...,,†@@ forests around my  childhood home. thick @@†,,...,,
¨¨,,,,«*¤& pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and &¤*«,,,,¨¨
¨,«;*$####       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 #¶£¤@*†«:¨
¨,.¨.~-$*#              throw it away.              #*$-~.¨.,¨
¨,,..¨»:¤¤                                          ¤¤:»¨..,,¨
,-»*^&#@##                                          ##@#&^*»-,
¨..,:=^£¶#                                          #¶£^=:,..¨
,~»/*%¤@##                                          ##@¤%*/»~,
¨,=/%*§###                                          ###§*%/=,¨
.¨,,¨¨=†%#                                          #%†=¨¨,,¨.