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