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