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