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