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