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