.,~;=%@@@#                                          #@@@%=;~,.
.,.»†^%§¶#                                          #¶§%^†».,.
¨¨¨,«:%£&@                                          @&£%:«,¨¨¨
¨,¨.~«=*%&                                          &%*=«~.¨,¨
¨¨,~«^=@##                                          ##@=^«~,¨¨
¨.,=/^$&£#                statuette                 #£&$^/=,.¨
,:~;%¤¤###                                          ###¤¤%;~:,
¨.-»*^*£@@ ££&&££§§%@&£%%§@»~~--=-»%$%*@£&$£§$*$%$£ @@£*^*»-.¨
¨¨.~~†=*#@                &$$$$@$@*                 @#*=†~~.¨¨
.,¨,-==**§                                          §**==-,¨,.
.¨..»;%£@£ forests around my  childhood home. thick £@£%;»..¨.
.¨,»†%£#@# pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and #@#£%†»,¨.
.~=/†*&¶##       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ##¶&*†/=~.
¨,.~^%@¤#@ underneath,  sniffing at the ground.  it @#¤@%^~.,¨
,.,-~=$$@£ 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 @¶#£*\~-,.
.:~=%$§###              throw it away.              ###§$%=~:.
..^~:%§¤¶#                                          #¶¤§%:~^..
,.¨~«/†%&@                                          @&%†/«~¨.,
.,¨¨-»*%@¤                                          ¤@%*»-¨¨,.
¨¨¨.»:*$§¶                                          ¶§$*:».¨¨¨
¨,~~†%§§¶#                                          #¶§§%†~~,¨
¨-»^$*&@##                                          ##@&*$^»-¨