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