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