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