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