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