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