¨¨¨,.,-/£#                                          #£/-,.,¨¨¨
¨^»=^%&@¶#                                          #¶@&%^=»^¨
¨,.¨¨¨=~$¤                                          ¤$~=¨¨¨.,¨
¨^-†%£§@##                                          ##@§£%†-^¨
,¨¨¨^*=†$¤                                          ¤$†=*^¨¨¨,
..-:§£§@@#                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 ¶&#£%§=~,¨
¨,..,«:§$§              throw it away.              §$§:«,..,¨
¨,»;*@&#¶#                                          #¶#&@*;»,¨
.--**£#£@#                                          #@£#£**--.
¨.-*§$¤@£§                                          §£@¤$§*-.¨
...^:;/*¶@                                          @¶*/;:^...
¨¨..¨,»%£¤                                          ¤£%»,¨..¨¨
¨¨,,¨.^†%£                                          £%†^.¨,,¨¨