,,¨,.~-^^£                                          £^^-~.,¨,,
..,,¨,:-:†                                          †:-:,¨,,..
,.¨¨,.¨~~^                                          ^~~¨.,¨¨.,
¨.,,.,¨.^«                                          «^.¨,.,,.¨
¨..,,,,-==                                          ==-,,,,..¨
,.....^~=%                 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 @@£$^=.,..
¨.^~:%&@@# on  her   stomach,   feet  in  the  air, #@@&%:~^.¨
,^«\=@####   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ####@=\«^,
,.:=;§&£## freshly  made, not yet completely dried. ##£&§;=:.,
.¨¨^«^%@¶#                                          #¶@%^«^¨¨.
¨.¨.-~=†&@ my mom is here now. i ask  her  for some @&†=~-.¨.¨
¨,,,.-~;** particle  board  for  it to dry  on, but **;~-.,,,¨
¨,¨,¨.-»;§ she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to §;»-.¨,¨,¨
¨.¨¨,¨.,-/              throw it away.              /-,.¨,¨¨.¨
¨,.¨..¨¨~»                                          »~¨¨..¨.,¨
.,.,.,,^~:                                          :~^,,.,.,.
¨¨.,¨.~~/%                                          %/~~.¨,.¨¨
¨,¨.¨.»:*%                                          %*:».¨.¨,¨
,,¨..~/*%#                                          #%*/~..¨,,
,¨¨:«*%$@#                                          #@$%*«:¨¨,