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