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