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