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