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