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