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