¨¨,.^~-:$@                                          @$:-~^.,¨¨
.~»\%£¤#££                                          ££#¤£%\»~.
,-=:$%####                                          ####%$:=-,
,¨..~»«\%@                                          @%\«»~..¨,
¨~~=$¤$§£@                                          @£§$¤$=~~¨
,~»*^£#@#@                 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 ##£¤$$\=,¨
.:~^%@§¶@# clay figure  i've never seen  before. it #@¶§@%^~:.
.:«\§&@#@# must have been laying in  the  wet dirt, #@#@&§\«:.
¨¨..,-%§¤¶ and  i  must've picked  it  up  with  my ¶¤§%-,..¨¨
,^»\:†*=§@             other belongings.            @§=*†:\»^,
..~*^*&@@#                                          #@@&*^*~..
¨-»*†:$%#& it's a statuette  of a girl laying naked &#%$:†*»-¨
¨,~;§£&¶## on   her  stomach,   feet  in  the  air, ##¶&£§;~,¨
,-=\§$§###   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ###§$§\=-,
¨¨.,¨¨.~*& freshly made,  not yet completely dried. &*~.¨¨,.¨¨
¨,~;=*§@##                                          ##@§*=;~,¨
..¨.~%*†¤# my mom is here  now. i ask her for  some #¤†*%~.¨..
.,~†%%¤¶@@ particle  board  for  it to  dry on, but @@¶¤%%†~,.
,.,,,,.-*@ she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to @*-.,,,,.,
.,,,»\$£*¤              throw it away.              ¤*£$\»,,,.
.^«†$%§###                                          ###§%$†«^.
¨¨,,,«^@$#                                          #$@^«,,,¨¨
.:=\§&§&#¶                                          ¶#&§&§\=:.
..»/^@@@#@                                          @#@@@^/»..
,~=*†@§£##                                          ##£§@†*=~,
¨,=;†*$$£#                                          #£$$*†;=,¨