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