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