,,-=†@#@##                                          ##@#@†=-,,
.¨,^~=%&¶#                                          #¶&%=~^,¨.
....-~$£§¶                                          ¶§£$~-....
¨¨,,~^$£¶#                                          #¶£$^~,,¨¨
¨,-~=§####                                          ####§=~-,¨
¨.~$*@####                statuette                 ####@*$~.¨
.,,«^££###                                          ###££^«,,.
¨,..-$$¤@@ %£$%£%£¤$%*££*§$»~-~-=»~¤£%&%@§%§*&§%$&$ @@¤$$-..,¨
,.,,,=§§&¶                 $%$&¤*$§&                ¶&§§=,,,.,
,¨¨^~%£@##                                          ##@£%~^¨¨,
¨¨~-%§&### forests around  my childhood home. thick ###&§%-~¨¨
¨^«*&@#@## pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and ##@#@&*«^¨
.,.=%%&###      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ###&%%=.,.
.¨¨^~=§@¶# underneath, sniffing at the  ground.  it #¶@§=~^¨¨.
,,¨¨~«§£££ is  dark  and moist, the  canopy  having £££§«~¨¨,,
.,,.~=&£## already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ##£&=~.,,.
¨.,«%%££@#                                          #@££%%«,.¨
,,=$¤#@@## 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.              ##@£%=»..,
...~-*£££@                                          @£££*-~...
¨.,¨:»=%@@                                          @@%=»:¨,.¨
.,..~^§&@#                                          #@&§^~..,.
.¨:«§£§###                                          ###§£§«:¨.
¨.~%£§£@##                                          ##@£§£%~.¨
,,-~^¤&£##                                          ##£&¤^~-,,