,-~:$@££@#                                          #@££@$:~-,
¨,«†^$&¶##                                          ##¶&$^†«,¨
,,«\†¤@&¶£                                          £¶&@¤†\«,,
.,»:*&£@##                                          ##@£&*:»,.
¨..,,::$££                                          ££$::,,..¨
,^«*$£¤¤£&                 statuette                &£¤¤£$*«^,
.~~*^%£###                                          ###£%^*~~.
¨,«\*%@¶¶# $$%$$¤@§%§@%%$¤£~«~~=««~*£@££**%%£$§$%*§ #¶¶@%*\«,¨
¨-=/=§£@##                *%$$%@£$£                 ##@£§=/=-¨
¨¨¨,¨¨:;*#                                          #*;:¨¨,¨¨¨
¨,,,,..»†£ forests  around my childhood home. thick £†»..,,,,¨
.,~/%§¤$## 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.              ##%\«~:,¨¨
,~»*^$#§§§                                          §§§#$^*»~,
.¨¨,^=*£##                                          ##£*=^,¨¨.
¨¨,..^/¤&#                                          #&¤/^..,¨¨
,¨.~\%*%#@                                          @#%*%\~.¨,
,¨¨,^:\§£#                                          #£§\:^,¨¨,
¨,«;%§@¶##                                          ##¶@§%;«,¨