.¨.,¨¨.~=%                                          %=~.¨¨,.¨.
.,...:~^$£                                          £$^~:...,.
..¨¨.=†*&¤                                          ¤&*†=.¨¨..
.,,^~==£@@                                          @@£==~^,,.
..:-\†%@##                                          ##@%†\-:..
..~\*£#@##                 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, ##@#%$=~,.
,,.~=†@¤##   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ##¤@†=~.,,
..¨,»=^&@# freshly  made, not yet completely dried. #@&^=»,¨..
.¨¨¨.»/=§@                                          @§=/».¨¨¨.
¨.¨..^~==% my mom is here  now. i ask  her for some %==~^..¨.¨
.,,,¨¨.»:% particle  board  for  it to dry  on, but %:».¨¨,,,.
,¨,¨...~~† she   is  worried   and  wants   me   to †~~...¨,¨,
,.,¨.¨.~\†              throw it away.              †\~.¨.¨,.,
¨.,¨¨,~:=%                                          %=:~,¨¨,.¨
,¨¨,-~†=$§                                          §$=†~-,¨¨,
...,~:**£#                                          #£**:~,...
,,:=^*$¤@#                                          #@¤$*^=:,,
..=;§$&###                                          ###&$§;=..
.,-~/^%&##                                          ##&%^/~-,.