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