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