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