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