,:»\*&@#@#                                          #@#@&*\»:,
,.:~:%%@£#                                          #£@%%:~:.,
,.,,=†^$¤#                                          #¤$^†=,,.,
.,,¨-«/%$£                                          £$%/«-¨,,.
¨¨.,.~~*%$                                          $%*~~.,.¨¨
,...,,~~†§                statuette                 §†~~,,...,
...,,.,,~^                                          ^~,,.,,...
¨.¨.¨.,¨,« ¤*£¤%%£%&§$£%@£§~~»~»~~»$£$&¤*£&£@*§&&$£ «,¨,.¨.¨.¨
,...¨,,,=;                $£&$&*$**                 ;=,,,¨...,
,.¨¨,.-=^%                                          %^=-.,¨¨.,
,¨,,,:~:*% forests around  my childhood home. thick %*:~:,,,¨,
¨¨,¨:~;†£@ pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and @£†;~:¨,¨¨
,.¨^~†^@@@       forgotten. wild boars roaming      @@@^†~^¨.,
.,^~^†@@¶# underneath,  sniffing at the  ground. it #¶@@†^~^,.
,,»/§&£### is dark  and  moist,  the canopy  having ###£&§/»,,
¨,:»^%$@@@ 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 ##@¤¤$:=-¨
¨.,-\%@#@# she  is   worried   and   wants  me   to #@#@%\-,.¨
.,.,=:**¤£              throw it away.              £¤**:=,.,.
¨.,.-~/=*¤                                          ¤*=/~-.,.¨
.,¨,,^~;=$                                          $=;~^,,¨,.
.¨.¨,.^~:^                                          ^:~^.,¨.¨.
,...,,¨-~†                                          †~-¨,,...,
,,,.,.¨.~~                                          ~~.¨.,.,,,
¨¨¨.¨¨.:~:                                          :~:.¨¨.¨¨¨