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