,.~;†*@¶@#                                          #@¶@*†;~.,
¨:«:^@&£@#                                          #@£&@^:«:¨
¨~«/*£#@##                                          ##@#£*/«~¨
,^~†$%§¶##                                          ##¶§%$†~^,
,¨..-~%†£#                                          #£†%~-..¨,
¨~==%%§###                 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, £$-^¨,,...
,,,¨¨.~*^& and i  must've  picked  it  up  with  my &^*~.¨¨,,,
¨-~=^§%&§#             other belongings.            #§&%§^=~-¨
¨^»^§%¤@@#                                          #@@¤%§^»^¨
,~~/*¤@### it's a statuette of a girl  laying naked ###@¤*/~~,
.~-/*£§@¶# on  her  stomach,   feet  in  the   air, #¶@§£*/-~.
.¨.¨:,,^&@   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   @&^,,:¨.¨.
,.,,.¨,~§§ freshly  made, not yet completely dried. §§~,¨.,,.,
,.¨,¨¨~^¤#                                          #¤^~¨¨,¨.,
,:-:*%§### my  mom  is here now. i ask her for some ###§%*:-:,
.,~;^&£¶@# particle  board for  it  to dry on,  but #@¶£&^;~,.
,,¨~*^*§#@ she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to @#§*^*~¨,,
,-«=%*@#@#              throw it away.              #@#@*%=«-,
,~:$*@@###                                          ###@@*$:~,
,,¨¨¨^«$¤#                                          #¤$«^¨¨¨,,
¨,~~†§$&##                                          ##&$§†~~,¨
.¨,.¨»=*$£                                          £$*=»¨.,¨.
,:==†§@@##                                          ##@@§†==:,
¨.~\%%§@##                                          ##@§%%\~.¨