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