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