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