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