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