¨¨,.«\$%&@                                          @&%$\«.,¨¨
¨,¨¨,«;†%£                                          £%†;«,¨¨,¨
,¨¨¨¨,~==$                                          $==~,¨¨¨¨,
,.,.¨,~-†^                                          ^†-~,¨.,.,
.¨¨..:«\§£                                          £§\«:..¨¨.
..¨.~-:=&@                statuette                 @&=:-~.¨..
..¨--:%¤¤@                                          @¤¤%:--¨..
..-=;%@@@# £¤$£§%&§*$¤@&§%*~«~«~=~~§%£%£*£$£@£*¤£¤* #@@@%;=-..
,,»;*£¤£##                @%£*$%£&@                 ##£¤£*;»,,
¨.,~;**&@#                                          #@&**;~,.¨
.,¨:~^^¤@# forests around my  childhood home. thick #@¤^^~:¨,.
,.¨.-«\%@# pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and #@%\«-.¨.,
,,.¨.~~†%¤      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ¤%†~~.¨.,,
..,.,.^«=§ underneath, sniffing  at  the ground. it §=«^.,.,..
..,¨¨.~\%* is  dark  and moist,  the  canopy having *%\~.¨¨,..
¨¨,.,»==£& already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. &£==»,.,¨¨
¨,..~=^%&#                                          #&%^=~..,¨
...==§£¤## there's a river  passing  by, from  east ##¤£§==...
¨.=†§$#@## 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.              §*^«:¨.,,¨
,.,.,¨-»†*                                          *†»-¨,.,.,
..¨...=^=¤                                          ¤=^=...¨..
.,,,~-:**¤                                          ¤**:-~,,,.
¨.¨~~/**§@                                          @§**/~~¨.¨
¨.~«/§¤¤##                                          ##¤¤§/«~.¨
¨~~*$$£#@#                                          #@#£$$*~~¨