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