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