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