.^~†$¤#£@#                                          #@£#¤$†~^.
.¨-=*†%@@#                                          #@@%†*=-¨.
,.¨:~*%¤@¶                                          ¶@¤%*~:¨.,
..¨.^-††¤#                                          #¤††-^.¨..
¨¨¨¨.~«^^$                                          $^^«~.¨¨¨¨
,.¨,¨..~:=                statuette                 =:~..¨,¨.,
,...¨,,:~^                                          ^~:,,¨...,
.¨,,.,,¨^~ *§£*%*£@££§$£$£$«=-«»=~«&%@@&¤@¤*&§§$@$& ~^¨,,.,,¨.
¨¨..¨¨,,,-                 &**$@*&*¤                -,,,¨¨..¨¨
.,.¨.,,,¨,                                          ,¨,,,.¨.,.
,.,..,,,¨- 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 &$%/=^,..,
.¨,.-;%§@¶ particle  board  for  it to dry on,  but ¶@§%;-.,¨.
¨.--^†*#£# she   is  worried  and   wants   me   to #£#*†^--.¨
.,~**¤&@##              throw it away.              ##@&¤**~,.
¨¨^~^^$£@#                                          #@£$^^~^¨¨
¨,.^~\§£¤¶                                          ¶¤£§\~^.,¨
¨,¨¨.-;=@§                                          §@=;-.¨¨,¨
¨..,.:~:†@                                          @†:~:.,..¨
..¨,..,«†=                                          =†«,..,¨..
......,~«:                                          :«~,......