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