,,~~**@@##                                          ##@@**~~,,
.,.:-/=%#@                                          @#%=/-:.,.
¨,,,--†**§                                          §**†--,,,¨
¨.¨¨¨,»;%*                                          *%;»,¨¨¨.¨
,,.¨¨,,=\$                                          $\=,,¨¨.,,
.¨,.¨¨.,~:                statuette                 :~,.¨¨.,¨.
,.¨.,¨.~^$                                          $^~.¨,.¨.,
¨¨¨¨,,~*$@ §@&$$%$@%££%¤§%&«=~~-»»»$*%££%$%$¤$$¤%¤@ @$*~,,¨¨¨¨
.¨,¨.-:%%¤                 £$§%%*§@£                ¤%%:-.¨,¨.
¨¨.-»†*§##                                          ##§*†»-.¨¨
.,,~:$£§## forests around my  childhood home. thick ##§£$:~,,.
¨,-†*£§#@# 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 ###¤%^/~^¨
¨¨-«:*$§£@              throw it away.              @£§$*:«-¨¨
¨,,.«/%£#£                                          £#£%/«.,,¨
,,,,:~\%§£                                          £§%\~:,,,,
,,¨,.-«=$%                                          %$=«-.,¨,,
,.,¨,,:~\§                                          §\~:,,¨,.,
¨.¨,,¨¨.~†                                          †~.¨¨,,¨.¨
¨,.,¨.,~\*                                          *\~,.¨,.,¨