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