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