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