,..,^=\^§#                                          #§^\=^,..,
,.,.,,«;=%                                          %=;«,,.,.,
,,,,¨.~=:%                                          %:=~.¨,,,,
,.,¨¨,¨^~;                                          ;~^¨,¨¨,.,
,,.¨..¨¨.«                                          «.¨¨..¨.,,
.,.¨,¨,-==                 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 $=*-~¨,¨..
.,,..¨-~:*              throw it away.              *:~-¨..,,.
,¨..¨,¨^-\                                          \-^¨,¨..¨,
.¨..¨..,^-                                          -^,..¨..¨.
¨..¨¨,,^«:                                          :«^,,¨¨..¨
¨.¨,¨.~»=$                                          $=»~.¨,¨.¨
..¨¨.^«†^%                                          %^†«^.¨¨..
¨..¨:-:=§§                                          §§=:-:¨..¨