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