¨,,,«**%&¶                                          ¶&%**«,,,¨
,,,¨,«**&@                                          @&**«,¨,,,
¨,.-»^*§#¶                                          ¶#§*^»-.,¨
¨¨,~††§¤@#                                          #@¤§††~,¨¨
,:»†=¤¤¶##                                          ##¶¤¤=†»:,
¨.:~†%@¤@#                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, ##&$^:~,..
¨¨,^=\*%£#   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   #£%*\=^,¨¨
¨,..,-;%§@ freshly made, not  yet completely dried. @§%;-,..,¨
,¨¨-»\§§@£                                          £@§§\»-¨¨,
¨,:«:†£&@# my  mom is here  now. i ask her for some #@&£†:«:,¨
,,«^%&@@## particle  board for it  to dry  on,  but ##@@&%^«,,
.¨^~†^%§@# she   is  worried   and   wants  me   to #@§%^†~^¨.
¨..-~†%££@              throw it away.              @££%†~-..¨
,..,:~††%£                                          £%††~:,..,
,¨¨~~†=$£#                                          #£$=†~~¨¨,
,..«^$£§¶#                                          #¶§£$^«..,
,:=:$@@###                                          ###@@$:=:,
.¨-~†§%@¶#                                          #¶@%§†~-¨.
¨,.,~:%&£@                                          @£&%:~,.,¨