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