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