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