¨,,=/§&@£#                                          #£@&§/=,,¨
,¨¨:«†=§££                                          ££§=†«:¨¨,
¨.,.,»^=£@                                          @£=^»,.,.¨
¨¨,,¨^»††¤                                          ¤††»^¨,,¨¨
.,¨,¨,-=\§                                          §\=-,¨,¨,.
,¨.¨¨^«=*@                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 ###¤&$†»^,
,¨^~^§%#@# must have been laying  in the  wet dirt, #@#%§^~^¨,
,.¨-«/*@#£ and  i  must've picked  it  up  with  my £#@*/«-¨.,
.,..,-^*%¤            other belongings.             ¤%*^-,..,.
¨.,,¨,~/*%                                          %*/~,¨,,.¨
¨,¨,,.,~^* it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked *^~,.,,¨,¨
,.,.,,«†^% on   her  stomach,   feet  in  the  air, %^†«,,.,.,
....,~/†&§   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   §&†/~,....
,.¨-»††&¤@ freshly made, not  yet completely dried. @¤&††»-¨.,
¨¨-~†^%¤@#                                          #@¤%^†~-¨¨
.,~==£#¶## my mom is here now.  i ask her for  some ##¶#£==~,.
¨¨^=;^§£## particle  board  for it  to  dry on, but ##£§^;=^¨¨
.,¨:«/§££¶ she   is  worried   and  wants   me   to ¶££§/«:¨,.
¨.¨.,-;*@¤              throw it away.              ¤@*;-,.¨.¨
,.,,¨~~^*§                                          §*^~~¨,,.,
¨¨¨,.¨,~=$                                          $=~,¨.,¨¨¨
.,.,,,=;*&                                          &*;=,,,.,.
.,,¨-=;$%¤                                          ¤%$;=-¨,,.
,¨¨:»†*$¤#                                          #¤$*†»:¨¨,
¨¨-«/%*@¶#                                          #¶@*%/«-¨¨