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