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