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