,,.¨~~*=#@                                          @#=*~~¨.,,
..-=^$&###                                          ###&$^=-..
.¨¨.:/*^£@                                          @£^*/:.¨¨.
.¨.,»*=%¤£                                          £¤%=*»,.¨.
¨¨,..==:%&                                          &%:==..,¨¨
¨~~;$@&£##                statuette                 ##£&@$;~~¨
,:»/§&£££#                                          #£££&§/»:,
,¨¨-/^\†¤# ¤¤£§@@%§$££££§¤¤»~»-»~==£&§$§¤@*$%¤@**§% #¤†\^/-¨¨,
¨~»=%§†%%#                 ££&§%$¤@¤                #%%†§%=»~¨
¨¨.,.«-%£@                                          @£%-«.,.¨¨
¨,,.¨=%§£@ 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 #@@#§$=«,.
,,¨..¨¨»%¤ particle board for  it to  dry  on,  but ¤%»¨¨..¨,,
¨,==^%§### she  is  worried   and   wants   me   to ###§%^==,¨
,:-\%§£@##              throw it away.              ##@£§%\-:,
.¨,¨,.:$¤#                                          #¤$:.,¨,¨.
,,,«^†^&##                                          ##&^†^«,,,
.~«=%%¤@##                                          ##@¤%%=«~.
¨~~;=§####                                          ####§=;~~¨
¨^»;%%####                                          ####%%;»^¨
.:-†:=^%&#                                          #&%^=:†-:.