¨.,,~^%*¤@                                          @¤*%^~,,.¨
,:=/^&¤¤@#                                          #@¤¤&^/=:,
,^-^*@¶###                                          ###¶@*^-^,
..~^^§####                                          ####§^^~..
.^-†%£¤@##                                          ##@¤£%†-^.
¨,.,~†=£¤#                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 ##@@%%=~,,
,,.....«$¤ particle board  for  it to  dry  on, but ¤$«.....,,
.~»;=$†%%£ she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to £%%†$=;»~.
¨,,.«†;†$£              throw it away.              £$†;†«.,,¨
,,,,/%¤§¤£                                          £¤§¤%/,,,,
¨.=^%*£$@@                                          @@$£*%^=.¨
¨¨¨.~%$¤§#                                          #§¤$%~.¨¨¨
¨-~†*%£#@#                                          #@#£%*†~-¨
,,¨¨-~=\@§                                          §@\=~-¨¨,,
.,,.¨¨¨»^&                                          &^»¨¨¨.,,.