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