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