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