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