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