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