¨~~^*&¤¶##                                          ##¶¤&*^~~¨
,¨,,¨~=*&¶                                          ¶&*=~¨,,¨,
¨,,¨¨~^%¤£                                          £¤%^~¨¨,,¨
¨,~**¤¤#@#                                          #@#¤¤**~,¨
¨^»»~*§££#                                          #££§*~»»^¨
¨.¨,:/;¤§#                 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 ##£@£^*~~.
.,»^%$¤#@# she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to #@#¤$%^»,.
.--:§$@@##              throw it away.              ##@@$§:--.
¨:»=*@&###                                          ###&@*=»:¨
,,-/^$£###                                          ###£$^/-,,
,...«»=*%¶                                          ¶%*=»«...,
.,«^*$@£##                                          ##£@$*^«,.
¨^»*§%#@##                                          ##@#%§*»^¨
¨.,¨,,-†%¤                                          ¤%†-,,¨,.¨