,-«*$$¤###                                          ###¤$$*«-,
,,.»*§§¤@@                                          @@¤§§*».,,
¨.~:%$£###                                          ###£$%:~.¨
¨,:-*=¤&#@                                          @#&¤=*-:,¨
.,«††§&¶@#                                          #@¶&§††«,.
...«:*%¤##                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 ###¤@%*-,,
¨,,==^$¤## she   is   worried  and  wants   me   to ##¤$^==,,¨
.,«†$£¤###              throw it away.              ###¤£$†«,.
.¨^~\%£§#@                                          @#§£%\~^¨.
,:-:%%&#@#                                          #@#&%%:-:,
¨¨~»\*%@##                                          ##@%*\»~¨¨
,,=^%£¤¶##                                          ##¶¤£%^=,,
.¨-=^†&#£#                                          #£#&†^=-¨.
.,«:§&&¶##                                          ##¶&&§:«,.