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