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