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