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