,.«:^@&###                                          ###&@^:«.,
.,~«^*%£@#                                          #@£%*^«~,.
.,..»**£&@                                          @&£**»..,.
¨.,.:«=$$@                                          @$$=«:.,.¨
..¨:=†^£§@                                          @§£^†=:¨..
¨¨,«/=%§##                 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 #@$%\~^¨,.
..^«††£¤@# on   her  stomach,  feet   in  the  air, #@¤£††«^..
.-~=%@¤¶##   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ##¶¤@%=~-.
.¨,~\*@££# freshly made, not  yet completely dried. #££@*\~,¨.
,¨¨~=:%%£@                                          @£%%:=~¨¨,
,¨¨¨.»;%¤¤ my mom is  here now. i ask her  for some ¤¤%;».¨¨¨,
.¨.:~^†%§# particle  board  for it to  dry on,  but #§%†^~:.¨.
¨¨~=†§&&£# she  is  worried   and   wants   me   to #£&&§†=~¨¨
.~~=%%#@##              throw it away.              ##@#%%=~~.
,.:~;$¤§@#                                          #@§¤$;~:.,
.,,.=†§*@#                                          #@*§†=.,,.
¨,..,=†^@@                                          @@^†=,..,¨
¨,,,«;§$@#                                          #@$§;«,,,¨
,.~-†^@@@#                                          #@@@^†-~.,
.,~/*%£@##                                          ##@£%*/~,.