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