¨.,¨.~*%*#                                          #*%*~.¨,.¨
.:»*%%£###                                          ###£%%*»:.
.¨.,.~~%&#                                          #&%~~.,.¨.
,.=:=£@###                                          ###@£=:=.,
¨-«*§£¶###                                          ###¶£§*«-¨
.,~\†*&###                 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 ###£$*/«-.
,~~/%*#£@# she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to #@£#*%/~~,
,-«;§¤¤£#@              throw it away.              @#£¤¤§;«-,
,~=†$@##@#                                          #@##@$†=~,
,¨,~-=%£@#                                          #@£%=-~,¨,
..~^†%¤¶##                                          ##¶¤%†^~..
,,~*§§@@##                                          ##@@§§*~,,
.:=/*£§@##                                          ##@§£*/=:.
,¨¨¨--:££@                                          @££:--¨¨¨,