,,-»\%&@£#                                          #£@&%\»-,,
,^~:%%&@##                                          ##@&%%:~^,
,,,=/%%§@@                                          @@§%%/=,,,
,.¨^~^§£¤@                                          @¤£§^~^¨.,
¨¨..^»/^£&                                          &£^/»^..¨¨
..,..,»;$@                statuette                 @$;»,..,..
..,¨¨.,«^§                                          §^«,.¨¨,..
...¨¨¨,^-* $%£££¤£%§£$£&@@@»~-=~--«£$&**&£$*$%¤%&¤£ *-^,¨¨¨...
,,.,,.,.:=                 ¤@%*££$%§                =:.,.,,.,,
¨¨,,..¨--/                                          /--¨..,,¨¨
,¨...,~-:= 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 @¶#$%=~:.¨
,-»;%%&#@# she   is   worried   and  wants  me   to #@#&%%;»-,
,¨,~/†§@##              throw it away.              ##@§†/~,¨,
...,-†*$@#                                          #@$*†-,...
¨.¨.^-/†§@                                          @§†/-^.¨.¨
¨.,..,~:§£                                          £§:~,..,.¨
,.¨,,¨,~*†                                          †*~,¨,,¨.,
,,¨.¨.,~~†                                          †~~,.¨.¨,,
.,..,¨,¨~~                                          ~~¨,¨,..,.