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