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