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