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