,.,.~*§§£#                                          #£§§*~.,.,
.,--\%$@@@                                          @@@$%\--,.
¨^~;=£££##                                          ##£££=;~^¨
,.^~;%£###                                          ###£%;~^.,
,,,-»^%£££                                          £££%^»-,,,
¨,.¨:«==$@                 statuette                @$==«:¨.,¨
¨.,,..-=%§                                          §%=-..,,.¨
¨¨.,..,«/= £%$*%$*§&%$@£&§¤~-~==«~~*@§£§*$%@§$££§*§ =/«,..,.¨¨
¨,,.¨-»†%@                £@¤*¤%$$$                 @%†»-¨.,,¨
¨..,.«†$&@                                          @&$†«.,..¨
,.,^»^§@@# forests around my childhood home.  thick #@@§^»^,.,
¨.^«;%$£¶@ pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and @¶£$%;«^.¨
.^~;$£@###      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ###@£$;~^.
,¨-~=%$#@# underneath, sniffing  at the  ground. it #@#$%=~-¨,
,¨,.~/†¤£@ is dark  and  moist,  the canopy  having @£¤†/~.,¨,
,¨¨.^»^**£ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. £**^»^.¨¨,
¨.¨.¨,«†*%                                          %*†«,¨.¨.¨
..¨,.¨:-:% there's  a river  passing by,  from east %:-:¨.,¨..
,.,.,^=*%& to  west, getting broader and deeper and &%*=^,.,.,
,...,»†=%§ slower as  it goes.  equisetum grow just §%=†»,...,
¨,¨~~^=£¤# where  the  pine  hands   start  to  let #¤£=^~~¨,¨
¨¨,=\$&§@# through light, horsemint  on  the  rocky #@§&$\=,¨¨
.:~\=&¤@##                river bed.                ##@¤&=\~:.
,¨:~\$&###                                          ###&$\~:¨,
¨.¨:=*%@#¶                    *                     ¶#@%*=:¨.¨
.,.,,-;*££                                          ££*;-,,.,.
,.,..,~*†@ the riverbanks  reek  of magic.  tonight @†*~,..,.,
¨,¨¨,,-«;* they had  been a swampworld  with sylvan *;«-,,¨¨,¨
.¨¨¨.~»=§% water, stone  rings and  floating  moss. %§=»~.¨¨¨.
.,.¨.-:*$£ you could've  found  me wallowing around £$*:-.¨.,.
,¨,-=:=$&@ on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got @&$=:=-,¨,
¨.:»†%*§##                 bitten.                  ##§*%†»:.¨
,,=;$$§#@#                                          #@#§$$;=,,
,.,~;*£@#@ 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 @¶£$%/~,¨¨
,-=:§££###              throw it away.              ###££§:=-,
¨..«;*$£@@                                          @@£$*;«..¨
,..~=^=@§@                                          @§@=^=~..,
,,¨¨.-**%@                                          @%**-.¨¨,,
,,..¨,»\$§                                          §$\»,¨..,,
¨¨¨..,.=;=                                          =;=.,..¨¨¨
¨¨,¨,:~*%¤                                          ¤%*~:,¨,¨¨