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