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