,¨^~:^%§¶#                                          #¶§%^:~^¨,
¨,«/^&@¶##                                          ##¶@&^/«,¨
¨..-;=@##@                                          @##@=;-..¨
¨..~~^%@##                                          ##@%^~~..¨
..,,--/§$§                                          §$§/--,,..
¨,.,.-»*†§                 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.              #@££§†=,.¨
¨.¨^«;*%@£                                          £@%*;«^¨.¨
,,,,:~^*%£                                          £%*^~:,,,,
.,¨.¨-~*†£                                          £†*~-¨.¨,.
¨¨,,¨.~«;%                                          %;«~.¨,,¨¨
,¨...¨,.-:                                          :-.,¨...¨,
,¨,¨,.,,:-                                          -:,,.,¨,¨,