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