¨,¨.:~=*£§                                          §£*=~:.¨,¨
¨,.,¨.~=†$                                          $†=~.¨,.,¨
¨¨¨¨..^«:%                                          %:«^..¨¨¨¨
.¨.,..»^^*                                          *^^»..,.¨.
.¨.,.=*%£¤                                          ¤£%*=.,.¨.
.¨¨,«:%*#@                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 ¶¤@$†«:..,
,...~=^†%@ particle  board  for it  to  dry on, but @%†^=~...,
,.,¨,,~:*£ she   is  worried  and   wants   me   to £*:~,,¨,.,
,,.,,,-~*%              throw it away.              %*~-,,,.,,
...,,~-;=£                                          £=;-~,,...
¨,¨,-»:$*£                                          £*$:»-,¨,¨
¨,.-~/=%§¶                                          ¶§%=/~-.,¨
,¨-~=%$§##                                          ##§$%=~-¨,
.~~†=£§@@#                                          #@@§£=†~~.
,,.=;^§£¶@                                          @¶£§^;=.,,