..:~:§@§##                                          ##§@§:~:..
,-«\=£&@##                                          ##@&£=\«-,
,.~~*$%¤##                                          ##¤%$*~~.,
,,,,»†%%&@                                          @&%%†»,,,,
¨,,.:»;†*#                                          #*†;»:.,,¨
¨.¨¨,:~†$@                 statuette                @$†~:,¨¨.¨
,,,,.¨.=*†                                          †*=.¨.,,,,
,,..¨,¨,«: %@%*@£$§@@$$¤£$&==~«=-«~¤&**£$$&£$$%&£%* :«,¨,¨..,,
¨,.,,..»*$                @$§§§£@¤*                 $*»..,,.,¨
.¨,¨.,==*%                                          %*==,.¨,¨.
,¨¨¨.~;%$@ forests around my childhood  home. thick @$%;~.¨¨¨,
¨¨,:-;%$¤@ pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and @¤$%;-:,¨¨
¨,-~=%£&##      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ##&£%=~-,¨
.^»†$£¤### underneath, sniffing  at  the ground. it ###¤£$†»^.
.¨,»***&@# is  dark and moist,  the  canopy  having #@&***»,¨.
¨¨¨^~\%&£# already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. #£&%\~^¨¨¨
.,¨..=;§@£                                          £@§;=..¨,.
..¨.,-~†§% there's a river  passing by,  from  east %§†~-,.¨..
,,.¨.¨:«*$ to west, getting  broader and deeper and $*«:¨.¨.,,
¨,.¨¨¨.:«; slower as  it goes. equisetum  grow just ;«:.¨¨¨.,¨
¨¨.,.,,=*$ where  the  pine  hands   start  to  let $*=,,.,.¨¨
.¨¨,,-~^%$ through light,  horsemint  on the  rocky $%^~-,,¨¨.
.,¨.^=;=$&                river bed.                &$=;=^.¨,.
.,.-~†*$£#                                          #£$*†~-.,.
¨¨,~^%£###                     ^                    ###£%^~,¨¨
.~«;†*&@##                                          ##@&*†;«~.
.¨-»†^@§@# the  riverbanks  reek of  magic. tonight #@§@^†»-¨.
,,,.«;%*§# they had  been a  swampworld with sylvan #§*%;«.,,,
¨,.,-=;$@¤ water,  stone rings and  floating  moss. ¤@$;=-,.,¨
.,¨,.~==^% you could've  found me wallowing  around %^==~.,¨,.
,¨,¨.,^=;§ on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got §;=^,.¨,¨,
¨,..¨,¨,»/                 bitten.                  /»,¨,¨..,¨
..¨¨¨..-†=                                          =†-..¨¨¨..
,.,¨,.-\†* but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid *†\-.,¨,.,
,,,,.=\%§& ground,  in shoulder-high grass, with an &§%\=.,,,,
¨,¨.-†$$£@ 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 &£§†=:¨,,¨
.¨,.~†*$§@ she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to @§$*†~.,¨.
,.,~;$¤¤##              throw it away.              ##¤¤$;~,.,
¨,~;**¤###                                          ###¤**;~,¨
,.~«^=$@##                                          ##@$=^«~.,
..,-~/%$¤@                                          @¤$%/~-,..
¨,...=††£&                                          &£††=...,¨
¨¨.,¨,-\$%                                          %$\-,¨,.¨¨
¨.,¨¨.,~;=                                          =;~,.¨¨,.¨