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