.:-~;%=##@                                          @##=%;~-:.
¨¨.--==%†@                                          @†%==--.¨¨
¨:»/*$&@#@                                          @#@&$*/»:¨
¨^»†^§^$¶@                                          @¶$^§^†»^¨
,..,^;$&@#                                          #@&$;^,..,
¨,.,,»†%$#                statuette                 #$%†»,,.,¨
,~«*$*^¤£@                                          @£¤^*$*«~,
¨..¨~/:**¤ ¤&¤@*%¤§*$@*$$$$«~==«=~~@$££@$$&$%§&&£@@ ¤**:/~¨..¨
.,»†*%§¶##                 $&&@££*£%                ##¶§%*†»,.
.~=\§@&@##                                          ##@&@§\=~.
,~-/^%@### forests around my childhood  home. thick ###@%^/-~,
.,~=^§§### pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and ###§§^=~,.
¨,«^†&@#@#      forgotten. wild boars roaming       #@#@&†^«,¨
,^=/=&&#@# underneath,  sniffing  at the ground. it #@#&&=/=^,
.~»^†%§### is  dark and  moist,  the  canopy having ###§%†^»~.
¨^~*%%§### already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ###§%%*~^¨
¨^-^†@£##@                                          @##£@†^-^¨
,,.¨.:\\=& there's a  river passing by,  from  east &=\\:.¨.,,
.-~:^%@£## to  west, getting broader and deeper and ##£@%^:~-.
.¨¨,.=«%£¤ slower as it  goes.  equisetum grow just ¤£%«=.,¨¨.
.¨:=»»**&# where  the  pine  hands  start   to  let #&**»»=:¨.
¨:~:%$@@@# 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.              ##@§&*=~.¨
¨¨.¨:==$§#                                          #§$==:¨.¨¨
¨~~^$%&£@#                                          #@£&%$^~~¨
.,.¨,¨.=*¶                                          ¶*=.¨,¨.,.
..,.,¨~/£¤                                          ¤£/~¨,.,..
,.^-=^£¤££                                          ££¤£^=-^.,
,..¨»«^#¤#                                          #¤#^«»¨..,