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