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