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