,¨,¨^~\$*@                                          @*$\~^¨,¨,
¨¨,,,^~*§@                                          @§*~^,,,¨¨
.¨,,¨¨,~^$                                          $^~,¨¨,,¨.
¨,¨¨.,=:*%                                          %*:=,.¨¨,¨
..,.:»††£§                                          §£††»:.,..
¨¨.-=†%££@                statuette                 @££%†=-.¨¨
¨,~=/§£##@                                          @##£§/=~,¨
.,~;*¤£@@# @$¤&*@*@%&$@§@¤¤~~«»~~~=££*%%£%§§$£%%@%@ #@@£¤*;~,.
¨¨-~\§%¤£@                 *%§&*£*$§                @£¤%§\~-¨¨
¨¨¨,-=$§¤@                                          @¤§$=-,¨¨¨
,,..~«==§# forests around  my childhood home. thick #§==«~..,,
.¨¨¨,-=†=& pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and &=†=-,¨¨¨.
.,,.¨¨,~\§       forgotten. wild boars roaming      §\~,¨¨.,,.
¨..¨.:~*§$ 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.              ^\=.¨¨¨¨.¨
.,.¨.,~/$%                                          %$/~,.¨.,.
¨¨.,,-\%£§                                          §£%\-,,.¨¨
,¨¨^=†§$¤@                                          @¤$§†=^¨¨,
,.,=^=%#@#                                          #@#%=^=,.,
.^-^$$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$$^-^.
¨.-«†*%@#@                                          @#@%*†«-.¨