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