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