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