.^»:*£@@@#                                          #@@@£*:»^.
¨,-\=£#¶@#                                          #@¶#£=\-,¨
,.,,^*†@§@                                          @§@†*^,,.,
.^=:^£&¶##                                          ##¶&£^:=^.
..¨~.~;£&#                                          #&£;~.~¨..
,¨.¨¨.:**#                 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 ¶%@%-,,¨¨.
¨,~\§$§@@# she   is   worried  and   wants   me  to #@@§$§\~,¨
:===$@@@##              throw it away.              ##@@@$===:
,:»*%§£§@@                                          @@§£§%*»:,
.,,¨,:%†¤#                                          #¤†%:,¨,,.
.¨,.^-*=%¤                                          ¤%=*-^.,¨.
,.¨,~~~«%@                                          @%«~~~,¨.,
,^»^*=£¤@#                                          #@¤£=*^»^,
..,.¨.,-^#                                          #^-,.¨.,..