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