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