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