¨-~^=$¤@@#                                          #@@¤$=^~-¨
..:~/†&&##                                          ##&&†/~:..
,.,~«*†%¤£                                          £¤%†*«~,.,
¨,¨..«/§&@                                          @&§/«..¨,¨
...,,,~\*@                                          @*\~,,,...
,¨..¨.,-\^                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 $^»~¨,¨.¨.
,¨....,^=\ particle board  for  it  to dry on,  but \=^,....¨,
¨,¨,¨¨,,.= she   is  worried   and  wants   me   to =.,,¨¨,¨,¨
.¨,,¨,¨,¨:              throw it away.              :¨,¨,¨,,¨.
.¨,¨,.,¨.=                                          =.¨,.,¨,¨.
,¨¨....:~;                                          ;~:....¨¨,
.¨,.¨¨,«:*                                          *:«,¨¨.,¨.
,,,¨¨.»^*$                                          $*^».¨¨,,,
¨,.¨,«:%$@                                          @$%:«,¨.,¨
¨¨¨^«:*£@#                                          #@£*:«^¨¨¨