..»†§*#@@@                                          @@@#*§†»..
¨..¨-†§§@#                                          #@§§†-¨..¨
,,-†^*¤@##                                          ##@¤*^†-,,
.:«=*@&&§@                                          @§&&@*=«:.
¨,¨.¨~=*$&                                          &$*=~¨.¨,¨
.:~=§$####                statuette                 ####$§=~:.
,,.»†=%&##                                          ##&%=†».,,
,,~*§$#### %%¤%*@%%£%$*%¤£%-~=»«~«-$¤%*$£@%&$¤$£¤%¤ ####$§*~,,
¨¨¨.¨.-%$£                $%¤*$%%&*                 £$%-.¨.¨¨¨
¨~~;*§§#@¶                                          ¶@#§§*;~~¨
¨.¨..~=£%@ forests around my childhood  home. thick @%£=~..¨.¨
¨~-††£@£## pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and ##£@£††-~¨
.-~;%£¤@##      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ##@¤£%;~-.
¨,~^^*&@#@ underneath, sniffing  at  the ground. it @#@&*^^~,¨
,¨,,»\^*$& 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 @@£#¤*^«:¨
,,~==$££@#              throw it away.              #@££$==~,,
¨^»;=¤§££@                                          @££§¤=;»^¨
.^=;=$¤###                                          ###¤$=;=^.
.~~\=*§¶##                                          ##¶§*=\~~.
¨~»=*&&#@#                                          #@#&&*=»~¨
¨....~-^%¤                                          ¤%^-~....¨
¨¨.,^,*¤§£                                          £§¤*,^,.¨¨