¨.~*$¤#@##                                          ##@#¤$*~.¨
¨,»/*$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$*/»,¨
.,«\%£&¶##                                          ##¶&£%\«,.
.,~;^%§@##                                          ##@§%^;~,.
¨,»**§####                                          ####§**»,¨
¨:-*=*¤£##                 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.              @$\~»:,,¨¨
,:-*§$¤£@#                                          #@£¤$§*-:,
¨¨,¨:^;*@¤                                          ¤@*;^:¨,¨¨
,.¨,~~=£¶#                                          #¶£=~~,¨.,
,--\$¤§@##                                          ##@§¤$\--,
.~»/%£&###                                          ###&£%/»~.
,¨,,¨-~%%@                                          @%%~-¨,,¨,