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