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