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