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