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