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