..»†%&&###                                          ###&&%†»..
.,-=\%§#@#                                          #@#§%\=-,.
,¨.^»:§%§#                                          #§%§:»^.¨,
.,.¨:~\*$@                                          @$*\~:¨.,.
,¨,.¨,-:*%                                          %*:-,¨.,¨,
¨¨¨,,,~=;§                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 #¤§*^»^¨.,
¨,,«=*$£## she   is   worried   and  wants  me   to ##£$*=«,,¨
,.~*$%@###              throw it away.              ###@%$*~.,
..,-=$*&##                                          ##&*$=-,..
.¨.,-;%@@@                                          @@@%;-,.¨.
,¨.¨.~††$&                                          &$††~.¨.¨,
..,.¨^~;†&                                          &†;~^¨.,..
¨.,,¨..»^$                                          $^»..¨,,.¨
,,..,,¨^=:                                          :=^¨,,..,,