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