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