,,,,~~/**&                                          &**/~~,,,,
¨..,¨^«=%¤                                          ¤%=«^¨,..¨
,¨¨¨,.~~:*                                          *:~~.,¨¨¨,
,,¨,¨~»/^$                                          $^/»~¨,¨,,
,¨,¨.~\*£#                                          #£*\~.¨,¨,
¨.,^~;%$@@                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 §$*:«^,.¨,
,¨..-^=%¤@ on  her   stomach,   feet  in  the  air, @¤%=^-..¨,
¨,:-;§¤&@#   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   #@&¤§;-:,¨
,,«;^¤@£## freshly made,  not yet completely dried. ##£@¤^;«,,
¨¨^»:^@&£#                                          #£&@^:»^¨¨
,¨,-»;*£££ my mom is here now. i ask  her  for some £££*;»-,¨,
..,¨-~*§@& particle  board  for  it to  dry on, but &@§*~-¨,..
,¨,.¨~=†%* she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to *%†=~¨.,¨,
.,,..,,-†^              throw it away.              ^†-,,..,,.
..¨,.--*$%                                          %$*--.,¨..
¨.,¨~«*=§§                                          §§=*«~¨,.¨
...,-†=$@#                                          #@$=†-,...
¨..=\†%@##                                          ##@%†\=..¨
¨,«;*%£@##                                          ##@£%*;«,¨
¨¨,»^†*#@@                                          @@#*†^»,¨¨