,.~*§$@£##                                          ##£@$§*~.,
.^»\*££###                                          ###££*\»^.
,^«^$£&#¶@                                          @¶#&£$^«^,
,,=^%£§@##                                          ##@§£%^=,,
¨¨¨~:=@@¤@                                          @¤@@=:~¨¨¨
..,¨¨.-%##                 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. ##@§§$;~,,
,¨¨.¨:\§£@                                          @£§\:¨.¨¨,
¨,=^*§@@## my mom is here now.  i  ask her for some ##@@§*^=,¨
¨~»:%§¤@## particle  board  for it  to dry on,  but ##@¤§%:»~¨
,,,.-\§£@# she  is  worried   and   wants   me   to #@£§\-.,,,
.~=**@£###              throw it away.              ###£@**=~.
,.¨¨,¨,;^@                                          @^;,¨,¨¨.,
.,,.^»;%$#                                          #$%;»^.,,.
,~-/$£&@##                                          ##@&£$/-~,
.,~;†£%§§§                                          §§§%£†;~,.
,.»^*^%£#@                                          @#£%^*^».,
.,..~-†^@@                                          @@^†-~..,.