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