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