.^~^%&§£##                                          ##£§&%^~^.
,:«\$$£@##                                          ##@£$$\«:,
.~~\†*££##                                          ##££*†\~~.
,,»;$%¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤%$;»,,
¨.,..~/†¤&                                          &¤†/~..,.¨
..»^=§¤£##                statuette                 ##£¤§=^»..
¨¨.¨^*†\$§                                          §$\†*^¨.¨¨
,^-:%@§#@# ¤$$%%&$£%%&%&$££»=~««=«~@&%%§£&$&%*%%£$£ #@#§@%:-^,
¨:»*=@##@#                 $%£%£%$$$                #@##@=*»:¨
,^~**£@£##                                          ##£@£**~^,
¨--\$¤@&#@ forests around  my childhood home. thick @#&@¤$\--¨
,^~^\=£### pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and ###£=\^~^,
,~~:=£&@@#       forgotten. wild boars roaming      #@@&£=:~~,
¨,..,-^^@£ underneath, sniffing  at  the ground. it £@^^-,..,¨
¨.¨,,¨-»*# is  dark and  moist, the  canopy  having #*»-¨,,¨.¨
.^=*%@§¶## already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ##¶§@%*=^.
¨.»*%*§@##                                          ##@§*%*».¨
,¨,~-\=†=@ there's  a river passing by,  from  east @=†=\-~,¨,
¨¨¨~»»*§£# to west, getting  broader and deeper and #£§*»»~¨¨¨
,¨..,,^~%& slower as  it  goes. equisetum grow just &%~^,,..¨,
..¨,~»=&§& where  the  pine   hands  start  to  let &§&=»~,¨..
,,»^%£§#@# through  light, horsemint  on  the rocky #@#§£%^»,,
,:-=^§&£##                river bed.                ##£&§^=-:,
¨.=*%&&¶@#                                          #@¶&&%*=.¨
,^-=%%&@##                     =                    ##@&%%=-^,
¨^=;†%#£@#                                          #@£#%†;=^¨
,,-^=@¤£## the  riverbanks reek  of magic.  tonight ##£¤@=^-,,
¨,=*%$&##@ they  had  been a swampworld with sylvan @##&$%*=,¨
,:«†$$¤¶## 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 #¤%«::,..,
.^=/*$£¶##              throw it away.              ##¶£$*/=^.
.--†%%@¶##                                          ##¶@%%†--.
,.~†^¤&@@#                                          #@@&¤^†~.,
,~»*=$£@@#                                          #@@£$=*»~,
,-=;$£¤###                                          ###¤£$;=-,
¨¨,...^=*@                                          @*=^...,¨¨
,:~*§%£###                                          ###£%§*~:,