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