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