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