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