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