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