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