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