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