,~~:%$&#¤@                                          @¤#&$%:~~,
.,¨¨,»^\$#                                          #$\^»,¨¨,.
¨¨,,†**@##                                          ##@**†,,¨¨
,,^-~,*£#£                                          £#£*,~-^,,
..»^%¤@###                                          ###@¤%^»..
..,.,~%%@#                 statuette                #@%%~,.,..
¨.~^*¤¤¶##                                          ##¶¤¤*^~.¨
.^»=**£@## @*$%$$¤*$&&$%$&$«~«~=-~«*£§$&$$%$%&§£¤£¤ ##@£**=»^.
,,«††@@¶@#                 &££%%£&%%                #@¶@@††«,,
,:~;**¤¤##                                          ##¤¤**;~:,
,,~:$¤§#@# 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. ##¶£$%=»^,
,,=††$#£##                                          ##£#$††=,,
.--†*£§@@# my mom  is here now.  i ask her for some #@@§£*†--.
,,-^*@££## particle board  for  it to dry  on,  but ##££@*^-,,
,,-:%§@### she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to ###@§%:-,,
¨,.¨¨,=*¤#              throw it away.              #¤*=,¨¨.,¨
¨^~:%$¤*¤#                                          #¤*¤$%:~^¨
.-»\^@§@##                                          ##@§@^\»-.
,,~/%%#@##                                          ##@#%%/~,,
,^»;^%§###                                          ###§%^;»^,
¨--:%@##@#                                          #@##@%:--¨
¨^»*=¤@¶##                                          ##¶@¤=*»^¨