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