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