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