¨,«$%@¶###                                          ###¶@%$«,¨
,¨.~%*£@##                                          ##@£*%~.¨,
,¨.,-^$§@@                                          @@§$^-,.¨,
,¨.¨-«^&£@                                          @£&^«-¨.¨,
¨,¨,..«*§£                                          £§*«..,¨,¨
,.¨.,¨^~^%                 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 #§£$~.¨,¨¨
.,,^-†¤&@# particle  board for it  to  dry  on, but #@&¤†-^,,.
.¨-~=&@#@# she   is   worried  and   wants   me  to #@#@&=~-¨.
¨,~†§§@###              throw it away.              ###@§§†~,¨
¨¨~~§$#@##                                          ##@#$§~~¨¨
¨,,.»%%#¶@                                          @¶#%%».,,¨
,¨¨¨,~§£@@                                          @@£§~,¨¨¨,
.,¨¨,,-§$#                                          #$§-,,¨¨,.
¨,¨,..^=†£                                          £†=^..,¨,¨
,.¨.¨.,~«$                                          $«~,.¨.¨.,