,:»/$£&@##                                          ##@&£$/»:,
¨.=:§%&¶##                                          ##¶&%§:=.¨
,.,.¨~^†§§                                          §§†^~¨.,.,
,:~:*££*%£                                          £%*££*:~:,
¨¨,,,.»*&@                                          @&*».,,,¨¨
..»=†=£&#£                 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 ###$$§:~,¨
.¨,...-:*# clay figure  i've never seen  before. it #*:-...,¨.
,~==§¤&££# must  have been  laying in the wet dirt, #££&¤§==~,
¨,=;†@£#£¶ and  i  must've  picked  it  up  with my ¶£#£@†;=,¨
.~»:*&¤###             other belongings.            ###¤&*:»~.
.¨,-\^%§&#                                          #&§%^\-,¨.
.-=†**£¶#@ it's  a statuette of a girl laying naked @#¶£**†=-.
.,,,.,«^%@ on  her   stomach,  feet  in  the   air, @%^«,.,,,.
¨,=††*&###   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ###&*††=,¨
¨^«^$*%££# freshly made,  not yet completely dried. #££%*$^«^¨
.:~:§&§###                                          ###§&§:~:.
,-~^§*@£@# my mom is  here now.  i ask her for some #@£@*§^~-,
,¨,«~§*£§# particle board  for  it  to  dry on, but #§£*§~«,¨,
,^»^%&¤@## she   is   worried  and   wants   me  to ##@¤&%^»^,
.,,~\\%¤#@              throw it away.              @#¤%\\~,,.
,~«;$$£&£@                                          @£&£$$;«~,
¨~=;*@§@##                                          ##@§@*;=~¨
.,~=†&§#@#                                          #@#§&†=~,.
,,«:*£¤###                                          ###¤£*:«,,
,-=:†%£@##                                          ##@£%†:=-,
,-==*¤£¤#£                                          £#¤£¤*==-,