.~»*$*#¶##                                          ##¶#*$*»~.
.,,=^*$&@#                                          #@&$*^=,,.
¨¨.--/%*§@                                          @§*%/--.¨¨
,,..,»\†£#                                          #£†\»,..,,
.,¨.¨,«:†@                                          @†:«,¨.¨,.
.,.¨..,~\=                 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 £$%:«:¨..,
¨¨,,,,~:*& must have  been laying  in the wet dirt, &*:~,,,,¨¨
,¨,,¨.:»=§ and  i  must've  picked it  up  with  my §=»:.¨,,¨,
¨,¨..,.,»;            other belongings.             ;»,.,..¨,¨
¨.¨,,,,.,=                                          =,.,,,,¨.¨
..,,¨,,:«/ it's a statuette of  a girl laying naked /«:,,¨,,..
.¨¨¨¨,-=^^ on  her   stomach,  feet  in   the  air, ^^=-,¨¨¨¨.
,¨.,¨,«**¤   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ¤**«,¨,.¨,
¨,,¨~~=%§& freshly  made, not yet completely dried. &§%=~~¨,,¨
¨..^~*%§¤£                                          £¤§%*~^..¨
,¨~»^*%¤## my mom is  here now.  i ask her for some ##¤%*^»~¨,
..»^**@£## particle  board for  it to  dry on,  but ##£@**^»..
.,^»\%&@@# she   is   worried  and   wants   me  to #@@&%\»^,.
,¨.,~\*%£¶              throw it away.              ¶£%*\~,.¨,
¨¨,¨,-†%$§                                          §$%†-,¨,¨¨
...¨.,=:§¤                                          ¤§:=,.¨...
¨¨,.,,^~^*                                          *^~^,,.,¨¨
,¨¨.¨,¨-~\                                          \~-¨,¨.¨¨,
¨,¨,¨,...-                                          -...,¨,¨,¨
¨.,¨.,..-:                                          :-..,.¨,.¨