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