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