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