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