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