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