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