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