¨¨¨¨,.«*@£                                          £@*«.,¨¨¨¨
¨.¨,¨¨~»*@                                          @*»~¨¨,¨.¨
,,..,¨¨^=*                                          *=^¨¨,..,,
,¨...¨..,»                                          »,..¨...¨,
,,.¨¨¨,,=*                                          *=,,¨¨¨.,,
,¨¨¨.¨~~=£                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.              $~:¨,.,¨.,
.,,¨.,¨,-~                                          ~-,¨,.¨,,.
..,¨,..,»*                                          *»,..,¨,..
¨,,.¨¨^~%¤                                          ¤%~^¨¨.,,¨
,¨,.,:»*£#                                          #£*»:,.,¨,
.,,..~*¤£@                                          @£¤*~..,,.
¨,¨:=%§@#@                                          @#@§%=:¨,¨