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