.,¨=-%$$@#                                          #@$$%-=¨,.
,¨..,,:^&§                                          §&^:,,..¨,
,^«=†*&#£#                                          #£#&*†=«^,
,:~^*&#@##                                          ##@#&*^~:,
¨^-\:;§^¤£                                          £¤^§;:\-^¨
,~~††$¤###                 statuette                ###¤$††~~,
.¨,,,.:*£#                                          #£*:.,,,¨.
¨,«^†££#@# £&£*§@%*§@%$§$%&-~~««~~~$£¤%§$$§£%£*£%£$ #@#££†^«,¨
,,-/†%#@##                 $$$¤&$&$¤                ##@#%†/-,,
¨~-;\=$¤¶#                                          #¶¤$=\;-~¨
,~»;$&§### forests around my childhood  home. thick ###§&$;»~,
,,~:^%@### 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.              ¶#¶§£^^~,¨
.¨¨,\=§@¤#                                          #¤@§=\,¨¨.
.^»*^£@£@#                                          #@£@£^*»^.
¨^==§£§###                                          ###§£§==^¨
.¨¨.¨.\%¤¶                                          ¶¤%\.¨.¨¨.
.-»*^¤¤###                                          ###¤¤^*»-.
¨.¨.~%*$@#                                          #@$*%~.¨.¨