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