.¨,¨,:^*$#                                          #$*^:,¨,¨.
,,~~~~~†£#                                          #£†~~~~~,,
¨,=\§@@#@#                                          #@#@@§\=,¨
,,,,-†§¤&@                                          @&¤§†-,,,,
,¨¨~~*¤&§@                                          @§&¤*~~¨¨,
.:«;†££#@#                 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, ###@$=;-,¨
¨.¨..,~%§#   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   #§%~,..¨.¨
,¨¨.=*=*¤§ freshly made, not  yet completely dried. §¤*=*=.¨¨,
..,,,\†*@#                                          #@*†\,,,..
.,--«-~==£ my mom  is here now. i ask  her for some £==~-«--,.
,^,~=/%@£# particle board for  it  to dry  on,  but #£@%/=~,^,
¨,,,^«*†%@ she  is   worried   and   wants  me   to @%†*«^,,,¨
..,,^~»«§&              throw it away.              &§«»~^,,..
¨,~;*%§###                                          ###§%*;~,¨
¨~«*†§£@##                                          ##@£§†*«~¨
,,,.¨,~«=#                                          #=«~,¨.,,,
.-~./*£$§§                                          §§$£*/.~-.
.,=^=$£@#@                                          @#@£$=^=,.
¨:~:$££¶##                                          ##¶££$:~:¨