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