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