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