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