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