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