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