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