¨^~/%%££¤£                                          £¤££%%/~^¨
,¨.,^:%¤£&                                          &£¤%:^,.¨,
¨:-;=$&###                                          ###&$=;-:¨
.,-†^¤§@##                                          ##@§¤^†-,.
¨,»/†¤&###                                          ###&¤†/»,¨
,.¨,~~*^¤#                 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   #@$=*-¨..¨
¨,-;§§§@## freshly  made, not yet completely dried. ##@§§§;-,¨
¨^»†=£&¶##                                          ##¶&£=†»^¨
,.:,=\£&@¶ my mom is here  now.  i ask her for some ¶@&£\=,:.,
¨.=:^*##@# particle board  for  it to dry  on,  but #@##*^:=.¨
¨¨¨,..~*£@ she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to @£*~..,¨¨¨
¨^~«~\^§£#              throw it away.              #£§^\~«~^¨
...,.,~=¤@                                          @¤=~,.,...
¨,~^$§@###                                          ###@§$^~,¨
,~«;†%¤§¶@                                          @¶§¤%†;«~,
,~-;§*¤@##                                          ##@¤*§;-~,
¨-»/%££¤£@                                          @£¤££%/»-¨
,,«*§£@###                                          ###@£§*«,,