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