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