¨..¨:-^$$§                                          §$$^-:¨..¨
,¨.,.,~^=&                                          &=^~,.,.¨,
.¨,¨.¨~«/†                                          †/«~¨.¨,¨.
,,.,,.¨.-\                                          \-.¨.,,.,,
¨..¨..¨,,=                                          =,,¨..¨..¨
,.¨¨.,¨..,                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, #@¤$**--¨.
¨,=^%£#¶## and  i must've  picked  it  up  with  my ##¶#£%^=,¨
,.^»††£@¶#             other belongings.            #¶@£††»^.,
¨¨.,-†*£##                                          ##£*†-,.¨¨
,¨,,,=:%£@ it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked @£%:=,,,¨,
,,,¨¨,«^†§ on  her   stomach,  feet  in  the   air, §†^«,¨¨,,,
,¨,...~~=§   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   §=~~...,¨,
..,.¨.,.~/ freshly  made, not yet completely dried. /~.,.¨.,..
,¨¨..¨¨,.=                                          =.,¨¨..¨¨,
.,.¨¨,,¨,- my  mom is here now. i  ask her for some -,¨,,¨¨.,.
¨¨.¨.¨,..~ particle  board for  it to  dry  on, but ~..,¨.¨.¨¨
,,¨¨,¨,:«: she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to :«:,¨,¨¨,,
,,,¨,.,==§              throw it away.              §==,.,¨,,,
¨¨,¨¨:-;*$                                          $*;-:¨¨,¨¨
..,,-=*%*£                                          £*%*=-,,..
,¨,-~^=§§£                                          £§§=^~-,¨,
,,^»\%£#@#                                          #@#£%\»^,,
.~~\$%&£##                                          ##£&%$\~~.
..^-;=£#£#                                          #£#£=;-^..