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