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