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