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