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