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