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