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