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