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