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