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