,:~=†$££##                                          ##££$†=~:,
,:=^§£@@@#                                          #@@@£§^=:,
.,~==££@##                                          ##@££==~,.
¨,..~~†$¶@                                          @¶$†~~..,¨
.-~†*$&###                                          ###&$*†~-.
,¨¨¨¨.,;$#                statuette                 #$;,.¨¨¨¨,
,:«/*§&#@#                                          #@#&§*/«:,
¨,«:§*$§¤§ ¤§$%%%§@§*@&§¤*%-«~-=»~=§%%@£*%%%@%*§$$* §¤§$*§:«,¨
..~~.«^*#@                 $@*&¤£%*&                @#*^«.~~..
¨,»=†$££££                                          ££££$†=»,¨
¨,~=*#¶### forests around my  childhood home. thick ###¶#*=~,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~\§@ pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and @§\~,¨¨¨¨¨
.¨,¨«:*££@       forgotten. wild boars roaming      @££*:«¨,¨.
.¨,,^-/£§§ underneath, sniffing at  the ground.  it §§£/-^,,¨.
.,,,=*@%$# is  dark and  moist,  the  canopy having #$%@*=,,,.
,,~\†¤&### already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ###&¤†\~,,
,~=;=@§###                                          ###§@=;=~,
,,-;*£££#@ there's a  river  passing  by, from east @#£££*;-,,
¨¨,¨.,~^¤@ to west, getting broader and deeper  and @¤^~,.¨,¨¨
¨,«†%£#£## slower as  it  goes. equisetum grow just ##£#£%†«,¨
¨,.«*=$£¤¤ where  the  pine  hands  start   to  let ¤¤£$=*«.,¨
,,~:†£#¶@# through  light,  horsemint on  the rocky #@¶#£†:~,,
¨¨.,,~*$*#                river bed.                #*$*~,,.¨¨
,...-^*&§#                                          #§&*^-...,
,.»/%$¤¶##                     =                    ##¶¤$%/».,
.,~^%§####                                          ####§%^~,.
,,~:†%§£## the  riverbanks  reek of magic.  tonight ##£§%†:~,,
.,-\=&@£@@ they  had been a swampworld with  sylvan @@£@&=\-,.
¨,,¨,\$$§§ water, stone  rings and  floating  moss. §§$$\,¨,,¨
,¨,,,-%¤¤£ 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 ###§$*\«^.
.~~:**¤### she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to ###¤**:~~.
,:~=^%§###              throw it away.              ###§%^=~:,
,..^,:%#@#                                          #@#%:,^..,
¨,¨,=$£$§@                                          @§$£$=,¨,¨
,:~\%%#¶##                                          ##¶#%%\~:,
¨,¨..-~=£@                                          @£=~-..¨,¨
,.=*^$¤@##                                          ##@¤$^*=.,
^~:*£§@###                                          ###@§£*:~^