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