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