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