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