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