,..,.=;$&#                                          #&$;=.,..,
.,.,¨~»*$¤                                          ¤$*»~¨,.,.
,¨¨¨,«†%%&                                          &%%†«,¨¨¨,
¨.¨~=\*¤@#                                          #@¤*\=~¨.¨
¨¨,=*$$§##                                          ##§$$*=,¨¨
,-»:*&@@##                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. #¤$^\~,¨,.
.¨.«^*%@##                                          ##@%*^«.¨.
¨:«††§@### my mom is  here now.  i ask her for some ###@§††«:¨
,.^-;%§§## particle  board for  it  to dry on,  but ##§§%;-^.,
.¨.,-=†&§@ she  is  worried   and   wants   me   to @§&†=-,.¨.
¨,¨¨:«\$%&              throw it away.              &%$\«:¨¨,¨
¨.¨,.--/^%                                          %^/--.,¨.¨
..¨¨~«;$%@                                          @%$;«~¨¨..
,,,,«†§%@@                                          @@%§†«,,,,
,,.»=%&&##                                          ##&&%=».,,
.^~=*%&###                                          ###&%*=~^.
,,:~/$£§##                                          ##§£$/~:,,